IG2 Book FIVE: Silver Sentinel
by Aline Riva
Summary: **Fifth and FINAL book in the 5 part series.** Gadget investigates a company who may be turning cyborgs into killing machines. But Gadget falls ill and learns that he is dying. Then Taylor runs into trouble and Gadget must team up with Gears, a clockwork cyborg with many secrets who will also offer him new hope - and Gadget will soon know the true meaning of the 'Steel Trinity'...
1. Chapter 1

**IG2 BOOK FIVE: Silver Sentinel**

**Author Note: **

**This story follows on directly from Book 4: Doomsday Machine. This is the Fifth and Final book in the five book series of fics within this particular universe.**

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**Summary:**

**Chief Quimby puts Inspector Gadget on to a new case – investigating a private cybernetic programming company who are suspected of installing malware into clients, prompting the users to commit criminal acts. Quimby tells Gadget the man who leaked the information, chief programmer Professor Julian Byron, is also missing and presumed dead, so this _may_ turn out to be a murder investigation...**

**As Gadget takes on the case, he is distracted by reports of sightings of a strange 'sea monster' spotted in Riverton River. Gadget calls in his Deputy Taylor Braydon, handing the sea monster case to him so that he can be free to do _real_ police work – investigating the malware and the disappearance of the Professor. But Gadget begins to suffer from his old spinal cable problem and when he asks Lula to fix it he is given devastating news that his condition has worsened to a level that is incurable - and terminal. Penny persuades Gadget to accept treatment that may lengthen his life and while he is at the lab, he meets Gears – _a young man whose cyborg parts consist entirely of clockwork._**

**Then Gadget goes to visit Lazarus, who tell him that he must accept that all things come to an end eventually, but he then informs him that the 'Trinity of Steel' shall be eternal... **

**But while Gadget has been away from duty has Taylor taken over, determined to crack the case for his best friend by going undercover to look into the malware plan and the disappearance of the Professor... and Taylor soon finds himself in _deep_ trouble.**

**With help from Gears, Inspector Gadget gets back onto his final mission – which will take him to Amaryllis, a place he thought was the stuff of legend, and the mystery of the sea beast will be uncovered - _along with a truth that will open Gadget's eyes to the true meaning of the Steel Trinity..._**

**This is the FINAL book in this series of novels.**

**And a reminder for readers:  
**

**There is ALSO a tie in book that relates to this five book series and fills in missing time between stories, it is written by Erica X and is called 'Inspector and Deputy'.**

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**Rated T.**

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**Disclaimer: I own nothing; this is a work of fan fiction.**

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Chapter 1

It was a clear, bright morning with a hint of chill in the air because the sun had not yet risen high in the skies over Riverton.

Inspector Gadget was standing alone by the bridge that overlooked Cyborg City; the sun was catching its rays against the steel spires making the city in the east look as if a halo glowed above it. Then his gaze shifted to the wide, fast flowing waters of the river as his thoughts shifted to how he had woken up and left the warmth of his wife's embrace so reluctantly. Penny had kissed him goodbye and then held him and kissed him again and in that moment he had felt like calling in sick and taking the day off purely to be with her all day long. But she would have to take care of Hope and get breakfast ready and then take Maxie to school, that was her early morning routine every day during the week and he didn't want to get in the way of that.

Besides, he was Inspector Gadget and that meant he was _always_ on duty, even on days when he would rather wake up warm beside his wife and stay in bed, even when his damaged spinal cable started to hurt and remind him of the day the Riverton Bomber struck for the first time, even when he felt as if he just wanted to forget every difficult time he had ever had in his turbulent life and just stay in bed - _he didn't do it_. Even on happier occasions like his children's birthdays or his wedding anniversary, Gadget went to work because he was always on duty. He sometimes felt like he would be on duty for the rest of his life, but it was just the way things were:

_He was Gadget, Riverton's finest crime fighter._

_And he was always on duty, and always would be_.

Sometimes, on mornings like this one, when the world around him was peaceful and uneventful, he had got into the habit of driving up to the bridge that crossed the river, just to get out of the car and lean on the rail and look over at Cyborg City shining in the morning sunlight.

But today as he stood there his gaze had shifted to a note book he had open in one hand while a go go Gadget pen shot out of a fingertip on his other hand and he started to make notes.

"Hey Gadget!" Called the car, "Are we gonna be here all morning? Have you forgotten you gotta _go go_ to _work?_"

And Gadget turned back and looked at the Gadget Mobile.

"I'm working right now." He stated, "I'm going over a list of all the minor crimes that have been committed in Riverton over the last six months."

And then Gadget turned back to face the deep, fast flowing waters of the river as he studied the list once more, cutting a lonely figure as he stood there in his trench coat and fedora hat as he wrote in his notebook.

"The Chief said to be at his office by nine." Gadget Mobile reminded him.

Gadget nodded and studied the list and underlined several key factors.

"G man, you're gonna be _late!_ The Chief will yell the house down!"

Gadget gave a sigh and turned back to the car as his eyes reflected the blueness of the skies above Riverton.

"It's eight forty-five! I just need a moment to check though these notes..."

"Okay..." The car grumbled.

"Don't nag me about the time." Gadget added.

"I'll shut up." The car replied, and shut down and began to snore.

As he listened to the sound of the flowing river, he studied the notes again; names and dates of minor crimes that had been committed over the last few months:

Lazarus had promised Riverton would stay at peace, but Gadget figured a rise in minor crimes such as stealing cars, theft and a couple of armed robberies didn't count as big enough to shatter the future peace of Riverton. In a strange kind of way it reassured him there was a reason to always be on duty – _somewhere_ evil was afoot, even if on a smaller scale than the likes of Doctor Claw or the Riverton Bomber or the day Riverton went to war... there was _always_ a crime somewhere, eventually – _and he was there to solve it..._

Then Gadget heard a high pitched scream from further along the bridge.

He turned to see a woman get out of her car as another car, which had lingered, swiftly drove away, crossing the bridge at speed.

The woman ran long the walkway next to the road, glancing down at the river as she ran, leaving her car abandoned on Riverton Bridge as she headed for land, her frightened eyes were now fixed on Inspector Gadget.

"_Help!" _She yelled, _"It was so big!"_

She had reached him now and the pale, shaken woman grabbed at his trench coat and looked into his eyes.

"I saw something so terrible... I wasn't expecting it...the thing just came out and it was _there_, Inspector! _It was huge_..."

Gadgets eyes narrowed as he fixed his gaze on the other car retreating in the distance.

"Did that driver just _expose_ himself to you, Miss?"

The woman let go of Gadget's coat.

"_Driver?_ Oh no, he just stopped too because we _both_ saw it, we saw it in the water..."

And she took in a deep breath.

"There's something in the river. It's _huge_. I saw its scaly back. _It looked like a sea monster_."

Gadget's jaw dropped.

He turned from the woman to the fast flowing waters of Riverton River, saw nothing on the surface but the water reflecting sunlight and turned sharply back to her.

"_There are no sea monsters in Riverton_." He stated.

"I _know_ what I saw!" The woman insisted, then as the breeze picked up she pushed her brown hair out of her eyes and fished in her purse and pulled out her ID. She held it up so Gadget could read it: _This was the last thing he needed;_ _the woman was a reporter from the local newspaper..._

"I really think you should reconsider running this story." He told her, "You don't know _what_ you saw – it was probably a piece of junk or the light reflecting on the water...it couldn't have been anything else. Please don't cause panic in Riverton."

The woman looked at him suspiciously.

"_What about Amaryllis?"_

And Gadget laughed, recalling a story he had heard a few years back about the rumors that there was a secret research base at the bottom of Riverton River.

"It's a myth." He stated, "There is no research base at the bottom of this river. And there are certainly _no_ sea monsters."

"So how come diving and the use of small boats were banned here more than ten years ago?"

"Because it's a fast flowing river, the currents are dangerous."

By now Gadget Mobile had woken up.

"_Hey Gadget!"_ Called the car, _"It's almost nine! Get movin'!"_

Gadget turned away.

"Don't you want to investigate this?" The reporter demanded.

Gadget glanced back at her.

"I shall pass this on to the police department. And now if you'll excuse me, I have _real _crime fighting business to attend to."

The reporter felt a chill run through her blood as she looked down into the water, then she looked back to Gadget.

"_I saw its tail!" _She called out.

Gadget just shook his head and got into his car, then the Gadget Mobile turned away from Riverton East Bridge and Gadget drove away at speed, not wanting to be late for his meeting with the Chief.

* * *

"_You're late!"_

Quimby's voice boomed out angrily and seemed to echo around the office, making Gadget wish he hadn't closed the door behind him.

The Chief jabbed a finger toward the clock on the wall.

"Fifteen minutes late, Gadget! I asked you to be on time, what could have possibly stopped you from being here at nine?"

Gadget stood by the Chief's desk looking at his reddened face and knowing whatever reply he gave would be greeted with anger, but to say he was delayed by a _sea monster_ would no doubt provoke a reaction of absolute fury...

"There was an incident over at the river, Sir. A lady was driving across the East Riverton Bridge and she stopped because she thought she saw something in the water."

The Chief glared at him.

"_In the water?_ Unless it was a body or some kind of an accident I'd like to know _why_ this incident took up your time when you knew I wanted to have an important discussion with you at nine a.m.!"

Gadget looked down at the floor and then slowly back up to meet that angry look in the eyes of Chief Quimby.

"She thought she saw a sea monster."

"_A sea monster?"_

Quimby thought about it, then his anger flared up once more, in a way much like a teacher who had asked a pupil for their late homework, only to be told it had been _eaten up by aliens_...

"_SIT DOWN!" _He bellowed, and Gadget grabbed a seat at once.

"Sea monsters!" He said scornfully, "I've never heard anything so –"

"She's a reporter with a local paper, Chief."

Quimby stared at him.

" I hope you told her she was mistaken about what she thought she saw?"

"Of course I did! But I don't think she was too convinced she'd made a mistake. There could be some weird articles coming out pretty soon."

The Chief gave a sigh.

"That's all we need! You'll have to take a boat and go out on the river to check it out, just to shut everyone up. I know there's nothing in there and so do you, but after that articles printed half of Riverton will be trying to catch the thing - and I can't have people on that river, Gadget. It's far too dangerous."

Then the Chief turned his mind to more serious matters.

"I called you here today because I have a case for you."

Gadget couldn't hold back the sparkle in his eyes as his hat spun around and he had to grab it with both hands to keep it still again.

"A case? A _real_ case, in Riverton?"

"It certainly is." Quimby replied, and his anger simmered down as he leaned his elbows on the desk and laced his fingers together as he looked at Inspector Gadget.

"You're aware that there's a connection between the recent series of minor crimes that have been happening around town and substandard cybernetic programming?"

Gadget took out his notebook proudly – he had been waiting to show this to Quimby ever since he had mentioned the string of offences a few days back...

"I certainly am!" He announced, "Break ins, robberies, theft...it all started with two kids holding up a grocery store six-month ago..."

And Gadget frowned at the memory.

"_And Taylor Braydon got a bullet in his side, he was lucky it was just a flesh wound."_

"Taylor had no right being there in the first place." The Chief replied, thinking about how Taylor had jumped into the Gadget Mobile and refused out get out, wanting to go along for the ride. Then he'd sneaked into the back of the store and tried to free the hostages by taking on one of the armed robbers- _by throwing a tin of green beans at the guy_... It was typical of Taylor, wanting to be a hero but not thinking about the consequence. _He'd been lucky the bullet wound was minor; a few inches over and that bullet would have made Evie a widow and Taylor wouldn't have lived to see his twin boys Ollie and Jimmy come into this world..._

Gadget was thinking the same thing, Quimby could tell by the look in his eyes – Gadget had wept for his friend that day and although the Chief had not shed tears in public, he certainly had behind closed doors. It was never good for a man in his position to show too much emotion because being Chief wasn't about being soft, but Taylor getting shot had certainly upset him even though he hadn't showed it in front of him at the time...

"So what do all these crimes have in common?" He asked Gadget.

"All blamed on out of character behaviour by the perpetrators, all caused by malfunctioning memory chips manufactured by Neurotech Microware."

And Quimby nodded, silently feeling proud that Gadget had done his research on these incidents so well, "You're absolutely right – every single one of the offenders had been prompted to commit a violent act by malfunctioning memory boosting chips, manufactured by Neurotech Microware, a private cybernetic programming company."

Gadget looked questioningly at the Chief.

"But I thought all private companies not endorsed by the government cybernetic program were considered illegal these days? Otherwise it means anyone who can put a chip together can call themselves a cybernetic surgeon and sell this junk at rock bottom prices, and people will always buy it if they need parts and they can't afford to go to an approved center."

"No," Quimby told him, "As of the end of this month, that loop hole in the law is closed forever. Cybernetic parts, programming and surgeries can _only_ be undertaken at recognized centres of excellence, like here in Riverton, for example. By the end of the month all the fakes and the bastards who are selling the malware and putting it inside trusting clients will be out of business. _And that's why we have to move fast_."

Gadget stared at him.

"We've got enough evidence to bust the company?"

Quimby shook his head.

"Not yet."

And he looked hard at Gadget.

"I need you to go in there and get to know Coral Devonshire; she's the owner of the company. _Tell her you're interested in having a chip fitted_. "

And Quimby saw the look of horror on Gadget's face and quickly explained:

"Don't worry about the chip; we _want_ you to get one fitted. And as soon as you've got it, you go straight over to Lula's lab and have it taken out, and then we can analyze exactly what's inside it."

Gadget shifted awkwardly in his seat. _He had been through many procedures since becoming a cyborg and he didn't relish the thought of having any more_...

"How can you be so sure I'd get a bad chip anyway? As I'm Gadget and known as Riverton's crime fighter I can't see her trying to reprogram _me_."

The Chief paused, thinking about additional facts that Gadget was yet to become aware of. As he spoke up again his voice was grave.

"Almost three years ago we had correspondence from Professor Julian Byron, the chief programmer at Neurotech. He said he feared plans were being made for the memory enhancer chip to be used for terrorist purposes; he claimed the owner of the company had plans to take over Riverton by using reprogrammed cyborgs to obey kill commands slipped into the programming. But then Byron's car was involved in an explosion and his body was never found. We have to presume he's dead and we have to presume it was most likely murder."

Gadget's voice was hushed as he spoke again.

"Why was this never brought to my attention, there's been a _murder_ in Riverton?"

The Chief shook his head sadly.

"It was bad timing all round, Gadget. At the time Byron was killed, Riverton went to war against the ACR. After the clean up there wouldn't have been anything left in the way of evidence. But we did receive his warning and it was passed to the FBI. They looked into the company but found nothing amiss. But that was a long time ago and now it seems as if Byron could be right. And if he was right, we have a month to stop a disaster because we only have until the end of the month before the company has to close down when the law changes. If Devonshire does have those kind of plans, now is the time she'll carry them out. These minor crimes we've witnessed could be the trial run for something _much_ bigger."

Suddenly Gadget felt a flicker of fear deep inside his living metal coated moving parts:

_This wasn't just anther case; there seemed to be the chance there was real danger involved._

_After using the experimental time machine a few months back to defeat Claw and help out his younger self, Gadget had thought that would be the last time he would be placing himself in the line of fire._

_So much had changed in his life as time had passed by that although he wanted cases to solve, he didn't want to be in danger, not now he had children, not now he was married to Penny... _

_He had too much at home that it was too precious to risk his life, knowing it could go wrong and he might never see those he loved and lived for again._

_It was strange how having love in his life had made such a difference; these days he just didn't want to take chances any more..._

But Gadget gave a heavy sigh as he nodded in agreement.

"I'll do what ever it takes to solve this case, Chief."

And then Gadget thought about the matter of the 'sea monster'... after hearing about what could be happening at Neurotech, he didn't want to be wasting what could be precious time investigating an empty river...

"Maybe we could give the river case to someone else." He suggested, "I'd rather be investigating Neurotech because this sounds like it could be serious."

The Chief accessed a screen on his computer and tapped a key.

"Let me just see which officers I have available..."

Gadget smiled and a light bulb extended from his hat and lit up as bright as the sparkle in his eyes as he thought of his best friend.

"Give the case to Taylor Braydon, Sir – he is still my Deputy in times of crisis."

The Chief frowned.

"Braydon? But he works at the school now."

"And he's on leave until the end of the month, he's still helping Evie at home with the twins, but he's due to go back soon. Please, Chief? He'd _love_ a chance like this!"

The Chief looked at him doubtfully and the light bulb disappeared back into Gadget's hat.

"Deputy Braydon..." He said in a low voice, "I don't know, Gadget – I'd prefer someone more competent."

And Gadget decided he had nothing to lose by turning that comment around in Taylor's favour.

"Think about it, Chief," He said with a smile, "We both know there's no such thing as a sea monster and there's certainly nothing in Riverton River. What harm can Taylor do to go out on an empty river to look for something that doesn't exist?"

And Quimby thought about it.

Then he gave Gadget a rare smile.

"You're right!" He exclaimed, "Someone has to look into it and you've got more important matters to attend to."

Gadget smiled back at him.

"Thanks, Chief! This will mean so much to Taylor, doing a special police duty like this, he loves working at the school but he misses being my Deputy!"

"I'll make sure he knows it's only a one off job." Quimby stated.

"It's okay, Sir – I'll tell him." Gadget offered, getting up quickly, keen to tell Taylor the good news before Quimby changed his mind.

_But Gadget had moved a little too fast._

There was an audible _click_ and pain shot through the middle of his back, slid down his leg and Gadget grabbed at it, feeling embarrassed to be caught out like this in front of Quimby, then he gave up on trying to straighten up and put his hand on the desk, silently praying the agony would stop so he could get out of this awkward situation.

"Sorry Sir." He said as he took in a sharp breath, "It's just my back...spinal cable problem...it doesn't often catch me like this..."

And another, sharper wave of pain shot through his artificial spine and Quimby stared at Gadget, noticing the color had drained from his face as he breathed harder and broke out in a light sweat; he was really in pain with this problem...

"Are you _sure_ you can stand?" Quimby said quietly, feeling a flicker of concern for him as he watched him struggle to overcome the pain and get upright again.

"I'll be fine." Gadget told him, taking in a deep breath and fighting the pain with sheer determination that he would walk out of this place and back to the Gadget Mobile without struggling like a cripple, even if he spent the rest of the day flat on his back in bed because of the effort it would take...

As he straightened up and his cybernetic spine felt like a hot poker was melting its way through his old scar, Gadget was slightly breathless.

"I'll be fine, Sir. I'll call Taylor and tell him about the job and then I'm going straight over to Neurotech and –"

"No you won't." Quimby stated, "You can call Taylor and tell him he's got the river job. Then I want you to go to the lab and see Lula and get your back fixed."

The pain was easing enough to allow him to move.

Gadget shot the Chief a reluctant look and Quimby's expression hardened.

"I don't send my men out on jobs with health issues to slow them down." He told him, _"Go and see Dr Smith. That's an order..."_

* * *

Taylor Braydon had woken early that morning; the twins had woken together and Taylor felt sure they both cried loud enough for the noise to go all the way through the mansion.

_But he didn't mind one bit._

Now he sat with two happy, contented babies, both changed and fed and cradled one in each of his cyborg arms as he smiled proudly.

"Ollie went off first and Jimmy's just fallen asleep too." He said softly as he looked up at Evie, who relaxed against pillows in their big soft bed that was draped with a lace canopy while she drank a morning coffee.

Evie put the coffee down next to the bed and laughed.

"I can't believe you do this every morning! You jump out of bed, you change them, feed them – you never complain! Most new mothers are exhausted with one baby, but I have two and I have nothing to do because you do all the work!"

Taylor still had a big smile on his face.

"This is all I've ever wanted," He said contentedly as he cradled his sons in his arms, "I know I've got Benji but I missed his childhood. It's so precious to me to have this time with my babies."

And then he got up and went over to the cot on the other side of the room and carefully lowered his sons into it, laying them down gently side by side.

He leaned over, watching them sleep and then he crept away, being careful not to fall victim to his own clumsiness and trip over the rug because he had done that before and woken them up.

He went back over to the bed and sat down on it and looked into Evie's eyes.

"This is great," He said, "Being at home with you and helping out with the babies... I love working at the school but I'll miss all this when I go back to work."

Evie reached out and lovingly brushed her fingertips over his cheek.

"And I love us being together like this too. But you don't have to go back to work yet, we've still got some time left before your leave is through."

Taylor leaned in and kissed her.

"And I'm spending every moment of it with you and the boys!" He promised her.

_And then the phone rang._

Taylor picked it up.

"Taylor Braydon speaking!" He announced happily.

Then his voice filled with even more joy.

"Gadget!" He exclaimed, and Evie smiled too, watching as Taylor spoke to his best friend.

Taylor listened. Then he laughed, and then ran his fingers through his blond streaked hair and his eyes sparkled.

"Oh Wowzer!" He exclaimed.

Then Gadget spoke again and Taylor's tone became apologetic.

"I know only _you _say that, just like you said I mustn't say _Go go Taylor_..."

And then he listened some more and the shine came back in his eyes.

"You bet I will!" He announced, "Yes, I'm on the case!"

And Evie stared at him in disbelief..._On the case? Did this mean, after all the danger he had been through, that he was going to take on another police job?_

Taylor was still talking on the phone.

"Oh, okay...well I hope Lula can do something with your back this time...Yes, let me know how it goes...speak soon Gadget..."

And he put the phone down.

Evie was sitting up in bed with her arms folded as she glared at Taylor.

"That was Gadget." He said excitedly, oblivious to the expression on her face, "He said I've got a case to deal with, I'm back for one week as his Deputy...this is so cool, someone thought they saw a sea monster in the river and Gadget said he's too busy to deal with that, so he gave the case to me!"

Taylor was still smiling, his eyes were sparkling too.

"_No."_

His smile faded.

"But I just want –"

"_No!"_ Evie said again.

"Hear me out, please, Evie! I just want one more-"

"_No!"_

"Big –"

"_No!"_

"Adventure!"

And he smiled again and looked like a big, excited child as he bounced up and down where he sat on the edge of the bed.

"I can't turn this down, Evie! I might catch a real live sea monster! It might be a real one, like that one in that old poem you read me once...that big monster called the Cracker-"

"Kraken." Evie corrected him with a sigh, feeling sure this was a losing battle because she saw the excitement shining in his eyes and once Taylor got _this _excited about something, there really _was_ no stopping him...

"I feel so special to be given this job!" He announced.

And Evie saw the joy in his eyes and thought about the danger he had faced in the past:

_This time, it was different._

_There were no sadistic ACR scientists dragging him off to their lab for weapons testing. _

_He wasn't going to get sent back in time in an untested time machine._

_And he wasn't about to go throwing any more tins of green beans at armed robbers._

_It was nothing; someone had seen a piece of junk in the river and got excited and... It would give Taylor a chance to have an adventure, even if only in his imagination..._

Evie smiled as she looked at her excited, childish husband and her heart warmed with love for him. While it was true his childish ways sometimes drove her nuts, she loved him for being the person he was and she knew she wouldn't want him any other way. And because he was Taylor, she knew to him, this case was like the adventure of a lifetime.

"You really want to do this?"

Taylor smiled again.

"Of course I do! And I'm a good swimmer, I grew up around the sea, my whole life was swimming and surfing! I'll be just fine. I used to go on boats with my old man all the time, I'm not scared of sea monsters, I once caught a marlin!"

And she laughed softly and put her arms around Taylor, pulling him closer.

"So I guess after a marlin a big old sea monster is nothing, right?"

"Right!" Taylor confirmed.

Evie looked into his eyes and kissed him.

"Okay. Go and do this, have fun. And be _careful!_"

Taylor jumped up off the bed and grabbed his jacket from the back of a chair by the dresser.

"I'm starting right now!" He announced, "I'm off to the bait shop for some hooks and worms! See you later, Evie!"

Evie lay back on the pillows and laughed.

"_Hooks and worms?"_ She giggled.

Taylor turned back as he reached the door.

Determination burned in his eyes and he looked like an overgrown boy going off on a big adventure.

"That's right," He confirmed, "Big hooks and juicy worms..._I'm gonna catch that fish!_"

Evie was still laughing as Taylor left the room.

She heard him hurry down the stairs and then the front door closed.

Moments later his car roared into life and he took off at speed, keen to begin a great big fantastic adventure - _taking on the case of the non existent sea monster in Riverton River..._

* * *

The steam powered motorbike that pulled up outside the cybernetics center drew a few stares of fascination from passers by.

The rider got off the bike and chained it to a post on the wall and took off his helmet, placing it in a box on the back of the bike and then locking it up.

He took off his tinted goggles and pushed them into the pocket of his leather jacket and then walked up the steps and entered the building.

He spoke to the woman at the reception desk who called up to Lula's office and told him to wait.

Then sat down alone and unzipped his jacket, checked his pocket watch and sat back, looking around the wide entrance to the cybernetics center; it was a lot bigger than he had expected it to be.

His cell phone rang and he answered it.

"Where the hell are you, Gears?" Said his best friend.

"I'm at the cybernetics centre in Riverton." He replied, "I'm having the living metal upgrade."

And he took in a deep breath, getting ready for the shocked response on the other end of the line.

"You know that's dangerous?"

Gears kept his voice down as he replied.

"Potentially, yes. But given the fact all of my parts are made of ordinary metal and will in time erode I have no choice and I'm not changing my mind. So please take a deep breath and chill, Magnet."

There was a brief pause. Then Magnet spoke again.

"Are you sure this follows our code of ethics?"

"Yes!" Gears insisted, finding it increasingly difficult to keep this conversation quiet, "Of _course_ it is! Living metal and synthetic skin are not environmentally toxic. I will not be having any electrical or battery powered additions; no chips or wiring. This is about me preserving what I have. And don't worry about the risk."

"_But you could die, Gears."_

On hearing these words, Gears took in another deep breath, forcing himself to stay calm as he spoke quietly once more.

"_I believe in the trinity, I believe in the spirit of invention. I'm not afraid."_

Then he thought about home and smiled.

"Tell everyone I'll be back in a few days."

His friend spoke again.

"I fed the panther. But the cougar's fretting already; she'll get worse for it when you don't come home tonight."

"So tell her I love her." He said, "And I have to go, I can't stay on the line, I'm waiting to see the surgeon."

And Gears ended the call and switched off the phone.

As he put it back into his pocket someone spoke his name.

He looked up and smiled at the attractive woman who stood before him in a lab coat.

She held out her hand.

"I'm Lula Smith."

Gears got up and shook her hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." He replied.

And Lula Smith looked at Gears:

He was slim but toned with short dark hair run through with gel that made it spike, his eyes were pale blue and he was wearing biker's boots and jacket, dark jeans and a pale shirt. He had a black and white spotted cotton scarf tied at his neck and as she could see no sign of his cybernetic parts she wondered exactly how large the extent of his cyborg design went; he didn't look artificial in any way and he was no older than twenty five; he was such a young man to be asking for such an extensive procedure...

"My office is this way." She told him, and they began to walk down the long corridor together.

* * *

Gadget parked the Gadget Mobile outside the cybernetics center and looked reluctantly toward the entrance.

"You _have_ to do this, G Man." The car reminded him, "Quimby said to get it checked out."

Gadget gave a sigh, leaning back in the driving seat and wishing he didn't have to get up again because the pain was getting worse and he wanted to go home lie down and forget about it, then get started on the case as soon as the trouble that had flared up calmed down again.

"I don't want to bother her, she might be busy. And I hate being poked and scanned and... And this is wasting my time, I have a case to be working on!"

"But you can't work like _this_." The car stated.

Gadget looked down at the computerized face on the screen; Gadget Mobile looked worried now.

"Please get it checked, Gadget. Lula can help you; it makes sense to do this."

"I won't be long." Gadget replied, gripping the door as he leaned on it to get out; as he stood up the pain burned through his back and he caught his breath and for a brief moment fear shot through his body as he looked at the entrance to the cybernetics building and he thought about how much happier he would feel if he was at home with Penny instead of here, where he had constant reminders of every procedure he had ever been through.

Then Gadget straightened up and ignored the pain and focussed on the entrance to the building.

"I won't be long." He repeated, then he made his way stiffly up the steps and every one of them felt like agony.

By the time he reached the entrance he needed to pause against the open doorway to catch his breath and as he did it he started to worry:

It had _never_ been this bad before.

He was starting to think the Chief was right _– he needed to get this checked right away, because something was very wrong_...


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Lula was in her office looking through her new patient's paperwork.

"Mr Gears?" She wondered, "What's your full name?"

"Just call me Gears." He replied as he sat down on the edge of the examination table.

Lula left the paperwork on her desk because it told her little except that this man could afford to pay for a very expensive and potentially dangerous procedure...

"I need to know a little more about your reasons for wanting an infusion of living metal." She told him, stepping closer to the table.

Gears smiled politely.

"_I just want to preserve my existing artificial parts so I never have to replace them."_

As he spoke, Lula guessed he was just another rich young guy who wanted to throw away money on a procedure he didn't need because he thought it was cool to become a cyborg. She had met guys like him before; men who spent money on needless procedures just to become the cyborg of their fantasies... And Gears seemed _far_ too young to need such a drastic procedure as having living metal steeped into his bones. Lula strongly suspected she would find he had _very_ minor cyborg modifications – _and that would be reason enough to refuse him treatment._

She looked into his eyes.

And he looked back at her with a charming smile, something she had not expected considering the age gap between them – _Gears was certainly a confident young man..._

"You're wondering how much metal work I need preserving?" He guessed.

Lula nodded.

Gears took off the cotton scarf that was tied about his throat and began to unbutton his shirt. She noticed he also wore a tin whistle around his neck on a silver chain, but he didn't take that off.

"_It's only fair to warn you I'm different to other men." _He told her.

Lula smiled.

"I've heard that a hundred times before," She replied, "There's nothing you can show me that will shock or surprise me, Gears."

_And then Gears took off his shirt._

Lula looked at the metal plate that covered half his body, starting above his left hip and going all the way up to his shoulder.

Then he pressed two release buttons and the plate unlocked and he opened it up.

At that moment Lula knew _everything_ she had assumed about this young man had been wrong:

_Her eyes grew wider as she stared at the cogs and wheels and gears that turned...it was just like looking at the workings of a giant, intricate skeleton watch. Behind the cogs and wheels and pipes she saw internal organs, yet none of them had been cybernetically protected._

_This man was literally half human and half clockwork..._

As the inner workings tick-tocked in time with his beating heart, she blinked and carried on staring until he closed the plate and then she looked back at his face as she struggled to find the right words.

"Do...do you need a _key_ to keep all that going?"

Gears laughed softly as he shook his head.

"It's all run by my body's own electrical currents. No need for keys or batteries or recharging from an external power source – I'm an environmentally friendly, self sufficient cyborg."

Lula was still staring at him.

"How do you protect your internal organs from infection?"

"My organs have been coated with a protective organic substance that's derived from a natural source mined from the sea bed. It's a mineral combined with my own DNA to ensure my organic structure is protected. I can give you a detailed breakdown of how it works if you're interested in trying it out here at Riverton."

Lula shook her head. She didn't doubt that he had undergone some effective if not unusual treatment, but his design was _not_ the kind that modern cybernetics would take interest in.

"No," She told him, "Cybernetic research is very much centred on the technical, electronic side of things. Clockwork was ruled out of the program many years ago. But I can see why you need the living metal, of course I can... you have a _lot _of small parts in there and it could be disastrous for you if any one of them started to erode."

And Gears looked at her hopefully.

"_So I qualify?"_

"You most certainly do. I'll have to scan you and arrange for the upgrade and after that you can have the synthetic skin to cover your plate. You'll most likely be here for three to four days, assuming all goes well."

And she handed him some paper work.

"Read through everything on here, if you agree, sign it and I can arrange for you to be admitted today."

Gears reached for the pocket of her lab coat and took out a pen, pausing to flash her another charming smile and saying a polite _Thank you_, before signing the papers twice and handing them back to her.

Lula looked at him in surprise.

"You don't want to discuss the _risk_ involved?"

Gears shook his head.

"I'm aware of the risk but I'm confident I'll get through this okay. And thank you for agreeing to do this for me."

And he smiled again.

Lula still felt stunned that he showed no sign of apprehension.

"I'll admit you today and we can get started." She told him, wondering how he could be so fearless about what he was about to put himself through.

But she wondered a lot of things that she didn't voice aloud:

_She wondered what had happened to him to take away part of his body like that, she wondered why he had been rebuilt with clockwork instead of conventional cybernetic technology, and she even wondered why he wore a tin whistle on a silver chain around his neck..._

But she didn't ask him anything, she just made a call and arranged for him to be admitted for treatment, and then she left him to read through the forms one more time while she headed for the lab to set up the scanner.

* * *

Gadget's vision blurred as he leaned against the wall and breathed hard, trying to block out the pain.

It was burning hot in his back as if the cable had started to tear and the pain was spreading up his body like a trail of gasoline had been dripped down it and set on fire.

He let go of the wall and took in a deep breath, trying not to think about how he had just got unbearably hot and then the heat had turned to a chill that made him shiver; it reminded him of the time his thermostat had crashed and that was the _last_ thing he wanted to think about at a time like this...

The pain eased up and he straightened up, taking in another breath and turning back as he realized the pain had, for a moment, made him forget the way to Lula's office. The corridor was deserted and although he hated to admit this problem with his back was getting hard to handle, right now he felt sure he would have been glad for anyone to have come along and helped him, purely so he could lean on the strength of another person to get him to where he needed to be.

Then he turned the corner and saw Lula's door was open.

Gadget breathed a sigh of relief and walked in.

Lula wasn't there, but a young guy was sitting on a chair by her desk. His shirt was off and half his body was covered by a metal plate. He looked no older than twenty five and he wore a tin whistle around his neck on a silver chain.

"Is Lula around?" Gadget asked as he breathed heavily and leaned against the door frame.

The younger man stared at him and then got up from his seat, taking him by the arm and leading him over to the chair.

He helped him sit and then stood over him, looking at him with concern in his eyes.

"Lula won't be more than ten minutes. Are you a patient of hers? I think I know you from somewhere..."

And Gadget managed a smile.

"I'm Inspector Gadget."

"THE Inspector Gadget?" He exclaimed, "It's an honor to meet you, Sir. My name's Gears."

And he held out his hand and Gadget weakly shook it.

Then he sat back in the chair and briefly closed his eyes as he took in another breath. As he looked back at Gears he felt the pain start to fade out once more and he started to talk, because anything was better than waiting in silence for the discomfort to return.

"You're a patient here? You don't look sick to me."

"I'm having a living metal infusion." Gears told him,"I'm part clockwork; I have to look after my metal work."

Gadget blinked in surprise.

"_Clockwork?"_

Gears smiled.

"Clockwork." He said proudly, "I'm an environmentally, self sufficient cyborg. I have no external power source; you could say it's a part of my culture and even my faith. Where I come from no one believes in modifications that eat up excessive resources."

And his eyes sparked as he looked at Gadget.

"_The good Lord Lazarus gave me his blessing. He told me that cybernetics is a combination of all kinds of technology and some embrace the new and some embrace the old, but we are all bound together by the spirit of invention."_

And he put his hand on Gadget's shoulder as he spoke softly.

"I can see you're sick, Inspector. But have faith in the technology of your choice. _The spirit of invention is within us all and it will heal you, I'm sure of it_."

And Gadget stared at him. As he spoke his voice was hushed.

"_You know about Eddie Lazarus? You know who he is?"_

And Gears nodded.

"I've been to his house. I've spoken with him and he told me many things."

Gadget's eyes grew even wider.

"_You...you know the truth?"_

Gears smiled.

"Me and many others. And I know all about _you_, Inspector..._you're the first cyborg_."

And then the pain came back and Gadget couldn't think about holding this conversation any longer as he caught his breath and he broke out in a sweat all over again.

"_I need Lula..."_

"I'll find her." Gears offered.

Then Lula walked back into the room and she saw Gadget sitting there with Gears beside him.

As Gadget looked around at her she noticed his face was pale and he had broken out into a sweat - and she knew at once that all plans for arranging for Gears to have his scan would have to be put on hold.

"_Gadget?"_

_As Lula stood over him, he felt instantly safer because Lula had always fixed everything, even when the Riverton bomber had blown him up, Lula had fixed him..._

"I don't feel so good." He said weakly.

Lula tossed a room key to Gears and he caught it effortlessly.

"I've admitted you, you're in room four. I can't perform the scan right now; I need to attend to Inspector Gadget."

Gears nodded and grabbed his shirt and jacket, glancing briefly back at Gadget before leaving the room.

As he closed the door behind him Lula lifted Gadget's hat from his head and put her hand to his brow.

"You're burning up."

Gadget blinked as his vision blurred and came back into focus once more.

"Maybe I have a fever...Or maybe there's nothing wrong with me at all...Quimby sent me over here because of my back, it's been terrible today but I think it's easing up now."

And she saw a flicker of anxiety in his eyes.

"_It's just my back."_ He added, trying to convince himself as much as her that this was just a minor problem.

Lula took in a deep breath as she looked back at the father of her youngest daughter. She didn't want to worry him but he looked pale and weak and he was definitely too hot, which made her wonder if his thermostat was malfunctioning again...

"Gadget," She said gently, "Cyborgs with upgraded living metal _don't_ get fevers. _There's something wrong with you and we need to find out what it is right now_."

The pain in his back was returning, spreading higher now and he winced as he shifted in the chair.

"Okay." He said reluctantly, "But let's make this quick, I need to go home and lie down, that's all I really need to do, then I'll be just fine..."

* * *

More than an hour later, Gadget was lying on his side on the table in the lab with a sheet folded down so far it barely covered his lower body as Lula took her time with the scan.

These scans usually took a while but not as long as _this _ - and Gadget was still feeling a creeping pain that came and went and every time he felt it he broke out in a sweat, fearing just how strong the pain would become.

As he looked up at the clock on the wall and wondered how much longer this would take, he laughed nervously.

"I know I've said this before, but I'll bet Taylor's got a dozen robofetish blue movies that start like this..._cyborg naked on the table, scientist taking her time to check him over_..."

But Lula didn't reply and Gadget fell silent again, wondering why she was so silent as she studied the scan and then turned back to the monitor and hit some keys activating the diagnostic tool beside it.

He wanted to turn around and ask her what was going on, but at the same time he didn't want to move until he needed to get up because his back was so sore.

He gave a sigh and waited and with every second that ticked by he felt more worried, because this kind of scan had _never_ taken so long before...

Lula had finished tracing the pathways affected by the damaged cable.

She added more input and waited for the analysis.

Finally Gadget spoke up again.

"How long will this take?" He asked, and this time he wasn't in the mood for jokes about Taylor's robofetish collection. This time he sounded anxious, and Lula picked up on that right away.

"I'm sorry Gadget, this won't take much longer." Lula's voice was hushed as she replied.

As she fell silent she looked at the screen and it showed results that instantly shocked her:

Gadget was her friend, he was also the man who had fathered her youngest daughter Emily and it would _never_ be easy to break any kind of bad news to him; she could barely take it in herself ...

It made no difference that her position called for a professional attitude in a professional situation, she wanted to cry all the same, even though she knew something like this could have happened one day – _she had just not expected it to happen so soon, even though Gadget was the prototype, his design was flawed, he was prone to glitches and after the damage he had suffered due to the Riverton Bomber, the damaged __fibers__ in his spine had always carried a small risk of disintegration_...

She took in a deep breath and blinked away tears, refusing to break down and make this difficult news even harder for Gadget to deal with.

Lula continued to work on the analysis, saying nothing until she had all the information - because right now it was _all_ she had and she wanted to be able to offer him as much help as she could, but in order to do that she had to wait for the program to complete.

"Are we finished yet?" She heard Gadget ask, and she didn't dare to turn around and let him see the tears in her eyes.

"Not yet, Gadget." She said quietly, keeping her gaze fixed on the screen.

_This felt like the hardest thing she had ever had to do in her life; she loved Gadget, of course she did, he was Emily's father and she had never stopped loving him, not deep down in her heart where it really mattered..._

As the screen began to display the conclusion she fought back tears that stung at her eyes because she knew Gadget would need her to be strong when he learned the truth.

The answers were coming up now the machine had traced a pathway of the damaged spinal cable and showed the route and speed of the damage:

_Progressive? YES_

_Curable? NO_

Then Lula heard Gadget speak again.

"Can I please get up now, Lula?"

"Just a minute, Gadget..." She replied quietly as she watched the monitor and looked again at the image of Gadget's spine and the damaged cable and saw the cracking fibers that ran all the way up into brain tissue. As the rest of the information flashed up on the screen Lula drew in a sharp breath as she read the words that confirmed her worst fears.

The diagnostic machine had spelled it out so coldly it seemed as if it might as well have been referring to a failed computer program:

_Spinal cable fiber disintegration at grade 2 (End Stage)._

_Outcome: 100% termination of effectiveness, leading to failure of brain function._

_Client life expectancy: At current status, 7-10 days. With chemical intervention -12 weeks. With chemical and surgical intervention – 3 years maximum._

_Overall status of client Inspector Gadget : Terminal._

Lula touched the screen, accessing the chemical and surgical option that would gain him some time.

Then she saw the extent of the treatment and read the outcome and turned off the monitor, pausing to take in a deep breath to steady herself before she turned back to Gadget.

He sat up stiffly on the table and pulled the sheet up to his hips as he looked at her.

"So can you fix me or not?" He wondered, "Because I need to get back to work. _Please _tell me you can fix me."

"It's not that simple." Lula said quietly, "Get dressed, Gadget. I'll talk to you in a minute – I just need to run through some files first, meet me in my office as soon as you're ready."

And Gadget got up from the table, still stiff and sore and he grabbed his clothes and started to get dressed again. His back was aching so much he couldn't think about anything else – he hadn't even noticed that Lula had looked tearful as she had spoken to him...

* * *

As Gadget got dressed, Lula went back to her office where she accessed the analysis report and ran through all the options again.

Then she sat and waited for Gadget, feeling sure he was able to cope by himself at least for now because the pain had eased off for much of the time he had been on the table beneath the scanner. Lula thought about the difficult conversation she was about to have and she took in a deep breath and forced herself to stay calm because this was devastating news for anyone to take in and she knew Gadget would need others around him be strong.

But all the same, it was _never_ easy for her to tell a patient bad news – and it would be even worse to tell Gadget that he was dying...

_Lula thought about Penny and the kids. _

_Then she thought about her own daughter – Emily would be losing her father too..._

Lula blinked away more tears and forced thoughts of everything personal from her mind.

_She wasn't sure if she could do this without breaking down, but she was going to make damned sure she didn't cry here and now as Gadget was about to walk into the room, because she was the one person he would look to for help in this terrible situation..._

Lula was still sitting at her desk and looking at the list of treatment options as Gadget walked into the room.

She heard him come in and take a seat but even as he spoke her name she was still looking at that screen. Then she turned it off and looked up at Gadget, as she looked into his eyes and saw so much worry there she just wanted to throw her professionalism aside and put her arms around him and weep – and she knew that she probably would - but not yet, because now was _not_ the time to be so selfish as to think about her own feelings in this matter...

"Lula?" Gadget said "I'm starting to get worried! What's wrong with me, why couldn't you talk to me about it in the lab?"

Lula took in a slow breath and knew this was a moment that would be difficult for both of them - because what she was about to say would shatter his life...

"Gadget," She said gently, "It's not good news. That intense pain you felt travelling up your spinal cable was an indication that the damaged fibers inside are deteriorating. I thought it was stable but it's ruptured and the fibers are cracking, splitting slowly and those fibers will continue to split all the way into the wiring that reaches your brain tissue. _And I can't cure this. I can't remove the cable because of the way it was fixed in. You were the first cyborg and your design had many flaws and I can't fix this problem, I'm so sorry..._"

Gadget stared at her. He had noticed it now; _Lula looked tearful and he could hear it in her voice too and as he thought about what she had told him it slowly started to dawn on him that this was not some minor problem that he could simply live with._

"So...so what's going to happen? Are you saying I'll get worse? That I could wind up paralysed with this thing until you can find away to fix me?"

Lula shook her head.

"No." She said quietly, "It's a terminal condition. Without treatment you could die any time within the next ten days. With medication alone we can extend your life to around twelve weeks. But the _only_ long term chance you have is surgery."

Gadget's eyes widened as he stared at Lula and struggled to take a breath as fear made the human and mechanical sides of his heart race.

"_I...I could die?"_

Lula wished she could give him some hope; she wanted to do that more than anything but she knew she had to be realistic because as much as she loved him and even though she knew he was terrified, she knew Gadget did not deserve - and would _not_ appreciate - being lied to.

"Gadget, I will do everything I possibly can to keep you here in this world." She promised him, "And with medication and surgery I _can_ extend your life."

And Gadget breathed a sigh of relief. Lula noticed he had started to sweat again but this time it was not caused by pain; this time it had been caused by fear and that fear still lingered in his eyes as he spoke again.

"So you can fix this thing?"

He had sounded so desperate for good news and she knew she could give him none.

"Not fix it. But I can delay it. I can admit you for three weeks - "

"_Three weeks?" _Gadget exclaimed, "I can't do that, I've got a _case _to be working on!"

Lula looked it his eyes.

"You're too sick to work." She stated, hating to give him more bad news but knowing Gadget simply wouldn't listen unless she spelled out the cold hard facts:

"That pain you felt today was just the _start_ of this thing. It's like a time bomb inside you, Gadget! You can't go back to work until I've got you on some cybernetic meds to slow down the damage to the fibers. And that medication is _strong_ and you need to be under my supervision while you're on it because it can have dangerous side effects."

Gadget closed his eyes and took in a shaky breath as he ran his fingers through his hair and looked away from Lula as he thought about Penny and the kids and wondered if he had any kind of a future to look forward to any more.

"Gadget, _listen _to me."

He looked back at her sharply.

"I _am_ listening!"

Lula knew he was getting worked up but she explained the rest because she felt it was better said now, so he could know everything - even if he _didn't_ want to hear it...

"After three weeks the fibers will be stable enough for surgery."

Gadget was thankful he was sitting down because as he tried to breathe in the room seemed starved of air all over again.

"What kind of surgery?"

"I'll have to open up your skull and make some careful incisions into brain tissue and coat each of the connecting fibers with a sealant, that will give you a lot of time but of course it's a major procedure and I'll be cutting deep into human tissue and –"

"_I'll have brain damage?"_

Gadget's eyes filled with tears.

_"Is that what you're telling me? I'll have to live the rest of my life like that?"_

"I'm sorry," Lula said quietly, "But on the meds alone you won't last more than three months. _With_ _the surgery you will survive at least another three years_."

Gadget drew in a sharp breath and tears ran from his eyes.

"_Three years...is that all?"_

And as Gadget started to sob Lula got up from her seat, went around the desk and put her arms around him.

As he cried and clung to her she new her own tears were falling too; she had never seen Gadget like this, weeping and terrified and it broke her heart to know there was so little she could do to change the outcome for him.

Gadget was still shaking with every sob as she straightened up again and pulled back from him, pausing to wipe the tears from his face.

"Gadget," She said softly, "_Listen_ to me – I'm going to do everything I can to help you. We'll do this one step at a time; the most important thing right now is I get you on the meds to stabilize the fibers. Maybe I should call Penny; you'd feel better if she was here with you."

"_No!"_ Gadget was still tearful but he had stopped sobbing, even though he knew he was far from calm and still feeling shaken by the news, he was starting to think again and right now, he felt as if he didn't want anyone to know - _because to say it would make it real and he could barely come to terms with any of it yet..._

"I can't do this right now...I want to go home."

Lula nodded.

"That's fine, you _can_ go home. No one is forcing you to do anything you don't want to do. Penny can help you get this into perspective. Get Gadget Mobile to drive you home and talk to your wife about this, Gadget."

By now he had regained some composure but he was still afraid as he looked into Lula's eyes.

"I don't think can do this." He said quietly, "Those meds sound rough...and the surgery...I'm not going through all that if I come out of it with brain damage...what's the point if it gives me three more years...it's _only_ three years..."

And he gave another sob.

"_I want to see my children grow up!"_

Lula put her arms around him again, she held him and stroked his hair and spoke softly to him as he wept.

"_Don't let me die!"_ He said tearfully.

"I will do everything I can to help you." She promised him, "And nothing is going to happen today, you need to go home and be with Penny."

"_I want her right now, I need my wife."_

Gadget was trembling and although he had stopped sobbing, he was far from calm. Lula knew there was no way she could admit him and start the treatment today; the most she could hope for was Penny persuading him to come back tomorrow...

"I'll call Penny and tell her to come over here right now." Lula told him as she went back to her desk "I'll call her for you, Gadget. Try and stay calm, I'm fetching Penny."

And Gadget just nodded and wiped his eyes and sat in silence as he tried to come to terms with the news that had just shattered his life.

Lula lifted the phone and Gadget suddenly imagined Penny, happy at home with Hope while Brain ran around outside in the garden. Penny would no doubt be thinking this was just another day, nothing bad had happened yet- not for her or anyone else he loved...he didn't have to tell her yet...

"No!"

Lula looked at him sharply as her finger hovered over the keypad.

"_No?"_

Gadget stood up and took in a breath, trying to steady himself but the shaking was still running through his body, although it was not as visible now he knew it was still there, because he could feel it.

"I'll go home and tell her myself." He said quietly, "But I don't want anyone _else_ to know yet- not G2, not Benji or Emily and _especially_ not Taylor."

And then he felt an ache in his heart as he thought about his children - _all_ of them:

_He knew Lula wouldn't tell Emily yet, not until he was ready._

_But it would be hard to keep the news from Maxie._

_Hope was too young to understand, and so was Alice._

_And even though she lived with her mother now, Grace still called him Daddy._

_All those kids called him Daddy..._

He paused at the doorway and looked back at Lula.

"How can I tell my kids?"

"We'll take this one step at a time." Lula promised him, "Just go home and talk to Penny and call me later. Can you get back to the Gadget Mobile by yourself or would you like me to come with you?"

"I can get back to the car, thanks." Gadget replied quietly, "I'll call you soon, Lula."

And Lula watched him walk away, then she closed the door and leaned against it and shed tears for the man she loved who she knew she could not save.

* * *

_A crowd was gathering beside the river._

Taylor Braydon stood on board a small rowing boat with a strong fishing rod in his hand as he posed proudly for a picture for the local paper.

Close by the bank a cop car was parked up and the cops were out of the car and one was leaning against it as he drank some coffee.

"Hey, Braydon!" He called out.

Taylor looked over at him and smiled.

"Are you sure that sea monster's ready to come up against your _manly metal?_" The cop asked him as the other cop half turned away and laughed quietly.

Taylor's smile faded.

"My _man metal_ can handle this!" He said defensively, getting the sneaking suspicion that those guys were making fun of him, "I'm Deputy Braydon, on _special _police business!"

"Yeah," The cop added, "You'd have to be kind of _special _to be taking on a job like this..."

"No one else would be dumb enough to chase after something that doesn't exist!" The other cop said in a low voice._  
_

Taylor glared at him.

"_I heard that!"_

But then the reporter, who had given herself credit as being the first to spot the monster, spoke up:

"So you're confident you can catch this beast, Deputy?"

Taylor looked out across the river and the looked back at her with confidence shining in his eyes.

"Of course I can! There's not much I can't do... After all, _I am a cyborg!_"

And he glanced around at the onlookers who stood near the bank, noticing quite a few of them of them were female.

"But I'm _married_, ladies...just thought I'd add that...so _please,_ even when I haul this sea monster back to shore and drag it up the bank by the use of my _powerful _cyborg arms – _don't_ fall in love with me, I'm _not _available!"

And he winked as the confused onlookers exchanged mystified glances and a couple of them shrugged.

The reporter thanked him for the interview and he shook her hand, posed for two more pictures and then as the press made their way back to the car, the crowd also began to disperse.

Taylor placed his three fishing rods in the boat, then a huge tub of bait and then as Gadget's car pulled up, he jumped up and down and waved.

"_Hey Gadget! I'm about to go on the river!"_ He yelled, jumping about a little too hard.

As Gadget got out of the car Taylor sprang excitedly up and down in the boat, making it rock- and then he lost his balance, slipped and went down with a thump.

Gadget stood at the water's edge and managed a smile; even at a time like this, Taylor's clumsy ways could still provide some light in a world that had, for him, otherwise turned dark.

"Are you okay?" Gadget wondered.

He thought about extending one of his arms to help him up but he guessed using his Gadget Mode would _not_ be a good idea considering the bad shape he was in, but Taylor didn't need his help anyway.

He got up, rubbed his head and then smiled.

"Oops." He said, then he sat down on the boat and looked back at Gadget.

"I'm all set to go after the monster!"

Gadget frowned.

"_In a rowing boat?"_

"Well the Chief said I can borrow his fishing boat if this one turned out to be too small for the job...it's a proper boat with an engine and everything, Quimby uses it for sea fishing! But he said I mustn't damage it, so I thought I'd try the rowing boat first. I mean, this sea monster can't be too big – " Now Taylor's imagination was running wild, "If it _was_ big, it would have come _ashore _by now! _It would have picked up cars and crushed them like empty beer cans, it would have stomped through Riverton and smashed up buildings as people ran screaming and_ –"

"Taylor?"

The blond cyborg looked at Gadget with eyes wide as he imagined a giant beast on a rampage, "What?"

"I doubt if a sea monster could do that. Not a _real _one...at the most you might catch an unusually large fish, perhaps a rare species...but I doubt if actual _monsters_ exist in this river."

And Taylor's wild imagination cooled a little.

"Maybe." He said, "But I'm ready for it! I've got three rods- all different sizes...and a _lot_ of bait!"

And he laughed.

"That thing doesn't know it's up against me _and _my man metal...it's in for a _real_ shock, Gadget!"

Then Taylor's eyes lit up as he thought of an idea.

"Why don't you come out on the river with me, Gadget? We could catch this thing together!"

Gadget shook his head.

As Taylor sat there while the sunlight bounced off the water and his head filled with exciting thoughts of hunting a strange creature, he didn't notice how pale his best friend looked, nor did he notice because of the way his hat shaded his eyes that Inspector Gadget had been crying recently.

"I'd love to come with you." Gadget told him, "But not right now, I need to get home to Penny."

And he smiled affectionately at Taylor.

"Have fun catching that fish, Taylor- and be _careful_."

Taylor laughed as he prepared to set off across the river.

"Don't worry about me, Gadget – I'm gonna catch that monster! I'm a cyborg, I can do _anything!_"

Gadget watched as he started to row away, then he turned and went back to the car.

He felt exhausted as the Gadget Mobile's engine roared into life.

"Are you okay, G Man?" The car wondered.

Gadget leaned back against the seat and briefly closed his eyes, then he looked wearily down at the computerised face on the screen.

"It's nothing you need to worry about." He said quietly, "Just take me home, I need to see Penny."

And the car turned back onto the road and headed for home, while Gadget wondered how he could break such terrible news to his wife when he had barely had time to come to terms with it himself:

_It all felt so unreal, but it was real and it was something he had no choice with but to face up to it and hope he had enough courage to deal with it, no matter how bleak or frightening the future could turn out to be..._


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Penny was surprised to see the Gadget Mobile pull up outside the house so early; As Gadget walked up to the front door she hurried to meet him there, opening the door and looking at him with concern in her eyes.

"Is everything okay?"

And then her eyes grew wider as she noticed he looked pale and there was an expression in his eyes somewhere between shock and deepest grief.

_"What's happened?"_

Gadget said nothing as he went into the house and closed the door again.

Brain ran up to him and he briefly reached down and stroked the dog's head.

"Not now, boy." He said quietly as he hung up his hat and coat.

Brain stood there looking up at his master, sensing there was something wrong, but then he turned and ran back outside, where he could bury his bones and leave the humans to discuss their human worries.

"Where's the baby?" Gadget asked.

"Hope's fast asleep."

And Gadget nodded, silently running through everything in his mind that he didn't want to say to Penny but he knew he would _have_ to say; if the diagnosis had been even slightly better and given him at least six months before he would need treatment, he could have had more time with his family, more time to live his life as usual –more time to keep it quiet to give those he loved less time to grieve for him...

But he didn't have that luxury and Penny was looking into his eyes and as he looked back at her he ran his hands over her hair, then rested his hands on her shoulders as he thought how beautiful she was, and how lucky he had been to have known and loved her and eventually called this amazing woman his wife.

"Penny," He said quietly, "Quimby sent me over to Lula because of my back. It was bad today –"

"So go and lie down, I'll massage it for you."

"No. It's not that simple any more, it can't be fixed now... _She said the fibers in the cable have ruptured. It's breaking, the fibers are splitting. I have to go back to the lab and get them sealed up. She wants to put me on meds for three weeks and then operate._"

And Gadget stopped talking because his eyes were tearful and he was scared and Penny saw all this in a single glance.

She put her arms around him and gave him a hug, then as he trembled she pulled back and gently stroked his hair as she looked into his eyes. Gadget was the prototype cyborg; she had always known that he would be prone to glitches and most likely need major repair work as time went by, but that was just a part of him and she loved him and she could accept this.

"So I'll come with you and Lula can do the work and fix you up."

And she smiled.

But that smile vanished as Gadget blinked and tears ran down his face.

"She can't fix me. Even with the surgery I won't live more than three years. I'm dying, Penny."

And he gave a sob.

_"I'm dying."_ He said again, and Penny pulled him back into a tight embrace.

As he wept she did too, clinging onto him as she desperately hoped that Gadget, in his anxious state of mind, had heard some of this wrong... _he couldn't be dying, he was her whole life..._

* * *

An hour later while Hope slept on, Gadget sat beside Penny on the sofa.

Her hand was resting in his – she had not let go of his hand since they had sat down together moments after he had arrived home and wept in her arms; she continued to hold his hand so he had a constant reminder of her closeness, of the fact that she would not let him go no matter what kind of a blow life was about to deal them both.

_The facts were starting to sink in now_.

They had talked, Gadget had cried some more and Penny had briefly wept too, but then she had remembered those terrible days after Gadget had been injured by the Riverton Bomber:

_If he could survive that, he could survive anything that was how she saw it to be – she loved Gadget, he was the amazing man who had been the prototype cyborg._

The world saw him as Inspector Gadget, crime fighter, but he was so much more in Penny's eyes:

_He was Gadget her husband, her lover, and father to her children. _

_He was a man of courage and blessed with a heart so gentle and filled with kindness it set him far apart from other men._

_And he was also a hero, he was a fighter too, he wouldn't give up when he had so much to live for..._

Yet the fear she saw in his eyes told her perhaps this brave man had endured enough; perhaps he could go through no more – and that thought terrified her more than she dared to show:

_She knew she couldn't let herself fall apart._

_If she fell apart, so would Gadget..._

Penny gave his hand a squeeze.

He looked at her tearfully.

"Gadget," Penny said softy, "No matter what happens, no matter how tough this gets – we will fight this together, I'll be right beside you."

And he looked into her eyes and as tears blurred his vision he leaned against her, grateful of her embrace and the safety he felt within it as she held him and he rested his head on her shoulder.

"_Thanks Penny."_ He whispered.

Then Gadget fell silent again, wishing this moment could freeze in time forever so he would not have to face up to the difficult times that lie ahead.

* * *

_The river was flowing strongly beneath a deceptively mild surface._

Taylor Braydon looked back to shore with a keen sparkle in his eyes as he sat on the boat with a fishing rod in his hands; the crowd who had watched him arrive were long gone and now he was settled halfway out in the middle of the river, waiting.

_He had been waiting for a long time._

_The sun was high in the sky by now and not even the smallest of fish had nibbled on his bait..._

Taylor looked up toward the bridge and spotted some onlookers on the walkway that ran alongside the bridge; there were four of them, they looked to be in their late teens and they waved at Taylor and he waved back.

"_I'm catching the monster!"_ He called out.

But just then a colorful hot air balloon drifted by high on the other side of the bridge, rising in the cloudless blue and they all turned around to look at it.

Taylor gave a sigh.

"They'll all notice me, _everybody_ will when I catch this monster!" He said aloud.

And then his imagination drifted forward to the day when he would be proudly posing on the shore with the hideous beast lying dead on the bank, conquered by the might of his man metal.

_"I can see it now."_ He said as he pictured the scene in his head, _"Taylor the monster slayer! Taylor the brave, Taylor the Hero!"_

And deep below the surface, where above the sunlight filtered through, Taylor's rowing boat seemed as a small speck above, the rod and the bait were insignificant as a great beast propelled upwards, dashing up from deep waters with grace and lightening speed. Its huge back broke the surface far behind the rowing boat and sent a ripple along the water, making Taylor's boat lurch as if hit by a sudden wave.

Taylor jumped up, losing his grip and dropping the rod into the water as he spun around sharply and stared at the now calm waters.

"What _was_ that?" He whispered as he looked with wide eyes at the ripples that reflected sunlight.

_And suddenly the boat was rising from the water._

Taylor gave a startled cry as the boat went up and up, he clung to the bow and gave a strangled cry of panic as he saw the water was now far below him.

Then the beast dived and as a huge wall of silver came rushing at him, Taylor gasped and clung on to the boat as the creature dived sharply, then with a mighty flick of its tail, the beast swatted the boat across the river, along with Taylor who was still clinging on.

As he let go he screamed on seeing the water rushing by as he was propelled through the air and the muddy bank came zooming closer by the second. It was then a brief thought ran through his mind:

_If only he had wings and could actually fly, he would have made it to shore with no trouble at all..._

Then Taylor hit the bank sharply, rolling in mud as the boat smashed into rocks further down the river side, shattering on impact as if the craft was made of match wood.

Taylor struggled to sit up and slipped into the mud again, raising himself up just in time to see the sun's rays catch on a giant fishtail gleaming silver as it shimmered in the sunlight, lapped at the water and then vanished once more into the depths.

He breathlessly struggled to stand, slipping again in the mud as he turned toward the bridge.

"_HEY!" _He yelled, _"Did you see that? Did you see it?"_

And the group of teens who had been watching the hot air balloon glanced around at him.

"_Did you see it?" _He called out again.

One of them shrugged.

The other two shook their heads.

Then they turned back to watch the balloon along with their companion, who was busy filming its flight on his cell phone.

Taylor gave a sigh of frustration –those people on the shore hadn't been looking, they'd seen nothing, they'd missed it...

He began to walk up the bank.

Then he slipped again, tried to grab at patches of grass but it tore away in his hands and he landed again with a _splat_ at the water's edge.

Taylor glared across the river as he thought of the creature that lived beneath the waves. He could picture it swimming down there, with a big fishy grin on its stupid fishy face as it mocked him...

"_YOU KILLED MY BOAT!"_ He fumed, _"And my rods, and my bait! Bad fish! I'll be back for you!"_

And then he stood up and slipped again, falling face first into the mud.

Taylor pulled himself upright and struggled to stand, then caked in mud from head to foot, he slowly made his way up the bank.

When he finally reached the top he pushed his muddied hair off his face and looked back at the river as his eyes blazed in anger.

"This is WAR!" He declared, jabbing an accusing finger at the water as mud flew off him in all directions, _"No one makes a fool of me and my man metal! I'll drag you ashore and have you stuffed and put in a glass case in Riverton museum! You won't beat me, you stupid fish!"_

And then, heavy with mud, he got into his car and drove away from the river.

He knew he needed a shower and a change of clothes, but all that could wait...

Taylor stepped on the gas and watched his speed climb as he drove on the long straight road that would take him to Riverton Police Department. Right now there was only one thing he needed most of all:

_He needed another boat and he needed it right now..._

* * *

Penny kept a tight grip on Gadget's hand as they walked into the room together.

Gadget looked around and felt mildly surprised, he had been expecting to be given the same room he had stayed in after being injured by the Riverton Bomber, but this room was very different to the one he had been in last time he had been an in patient at the Cybernetics center:

This room was decorated with pale, floral wallpaper and had white drapes at the window. There was a phone on the wall, a TV and a table by the window. The room also had an en suite bathroom too. But the best thing about it was the second bed on the other side of the room- this meant Penny could stay with him and knowing that brought him a lot of comfort.

"This is one of our new suites." Lula told him, I thought you might feel more comfortable in here."

"And I can stay with you." Penny reminded him.

Gadget let go of her hand and gave a heavy sigh as he sat down on the bed. As he noticed the switched off monitors around the bed and the call button on the wall it sharply reminded him that this was _not_ a hotel room, even if it had been decorated to look like one at first glance...

As Lula looked at Gadget she felt relieved that thanks to Penny, he had understood the importance of coming back to the center and starting treatment today.

As Penny sat beside him she gave his hand a gentle squeeze to remind him he was not alone, but as Gadget finally spoke up he still looked as scared as he felt.

"_So what's going to happen to me?"_

Lula tried to keep the information brief; she still had a patient named Gears who needed a living metal infusion and she wanted to hurry that up and get the procedure over with so she could leave him in the care of her colleagues, because right now the only patient who really needed her, the only patient who was her main priority, was Gadget...

"I'll give you a couple of hours to get settled in," She told him, "And then I want to start with the first shot of medication. It's a bonding agent that's designed to work with cybernetic internal structures to fortify cables and damaged wiring."

Then she paused, hoping Gadget could accept the rest of the information, because she could tell at a glance he was scared – and he had every reason to be, this procedure was extremely painful and would be every single time the dose was administered...

"But I have to warn you it's highly toxic and will invade your living metal. It won't harm it but it will cause deep pain, especially in the spine."

Penny looked sharply at her.

"Can't you give him something for this pain?"

And Lula felt helpless and wanted to cry all over again but she held it back.

"_No, I can't."_

Gadget stared at her.

As he spoke up his voice was edged with panic.

"_I have to do this with no pain relief?"_

He looked and sounded terrified and Lula wished she could offer reassurance, but all she could do in truth was to tell him what to expect:

"The fibers inside your spinal cable are cracking. I can't give you pain relief or any other kind of drug until you've been on the meds for at least twelve days and the cables are effectively coated to protect the fibers from further damage."

And Gadget's face turned deathly pale.

"I have to go through terrible pain just to get the cable stabilized?"

Penny caught a flash of panic in his eyes and she gripped his hand tighter.

"I'll be right with you the whole time" She reminded him.

But Gadget was still staring at Lula.

"How bad will this be?"

"It's a painful process." She admitted, "And if there was any other way I wouldn't be putting you through this, but your _life_ is at stake without this treatment, it's the only option we have, Gadget."

"_I know that."_ He replied quietly.

Lula checked her watch.

"I'll leave you to get settled in and I'll be back in a couple of hours." She told him, and then she left the room and closed the door behind her.

* * *

As the door closed, Gadget turned to Penny and blinked away tears.

"I don't see the point in doing this," He told her, "I have to go through hell just to live for three more years? That's no time at all!"

"But Lula could come up with a cure for you!" Penny reminded him, "She might even find a way to replace the cable completely. That's _got _to be worth holding on for."

And she gently touched his cheek and leaned closer and gave him a brief kiss.

"We _will_ get through this." She promised him.

Gadget looked back at her sadly.

"You sound so sure of that. I wish I could feel the same, but I don't." And then he looked into her eyes and as he spoke again he was on the brink of tears.

"_I don't think I'll get through this, Penny. I think I'm going to die..."_

And Penny struggled for an answer to find the right words to comfort him - but then the door opened again and the sound of it gave Gadget a jolt as his heart raced and panic flashed through his mind as he wanted to say to Lula he was _not_ ready to do this...

_But it wasn't Lula._

G2 walked into the room and gave Gadget a big hug.

"Gadget!" She said warmly, and he struggled to hold back his tears as she let go of him once more.

"Thanks for helping out like this." He said to her.

"It's no trouble at all."

And she glanced at Penny.

"I'm glad you thought to call on me to help. I left Brain at home with Benji. He's there right now taking care of Alice and Hope. And I am off to pick up Maxie from school in around one hour's time. Don't worry about the kids, I'm here to help and so is Benji."

As Gadget thought about Taylor's oldest son, who G2 had recently begun a deepening relationship with, he thought of Taylor and suddenly wondered if Benji would say anything to his father – he didn't want Taylor hearing everything from someone else and getting upset, he wanted to tell him in his own time...

"G2, please tell Benji not to say anything to Taylor. I want to tell him about this myself, I don't want him to hear it from anyone else and get upset over it."

G2 looked at him in surprise.

"But Gadget, he _will_ be upset regardless of how he finds out! I _know_ Taylor is a very close friend and this is up to you, but I really think you should tell him sooner rather than later. Perhaps I could stop by the river on the way over to the school, Taylor's out on the boat today, he called Benji this morning and told him he's looking for a _sea monster_..."

And she frowned as her robot mind turned over the questionable logic of that statement.

"He's looking for a _sea monster_... even though they clearly _don't_ exist." She added.

And as he thought of Taylor out on the river and excited at the thought of the sea monster, Gadget managed a smile.

"I'll bet he's having fun..."

Then Gadget's smile faded and he gave a sigh.

"I just don't want to make him unhappy. He was so excited this morning, that's why I didn't tell him how sick I am."

"I'll stop by and explain everything." G2 promised him, "It's the best way, Gadget. He's your best friend, he needs to know."

Gadget looked at her reluctantly.

"I still hate the thought of wrecking his happiness over me and my problems."

G2 gave him another brief hug.

"I'll be sure to call later on." She promised.

Penny thanked her for helping out with the kids, and then G2 left.

Gadget looked at Penny and gave another sigh.

"I guess I have no choice but to get on with this and face up to it." He said, _"I know I'm dying but I'll die a lot sooner if I don't take the treatment."_

Penny slowly nodded, then she lifted his hat from his head and started to unbutton his trench coat for him.

"Let's get you ready for bed." She said gently, "The sooner we get his over with, the sooner I can take you home again..."

* * *

_Taylor Braydon had been angry with the sea monster, he had been so angry at the thought of the way it had smashed up his boat, that he hadn't cared about the stares he got as he walked into Riverton Police Department covered in mud and demanded to speak to Chief Quimby_:

He had been told the Chief was in a meeting with Mayor Wilson, but knowing that had not deterred him.

Taylor had pushed open the door with a shove, forgetting the strength of his man metal as the frame creaked and groaned and wood splintered.

Mayor Wilson had gasped at the sight of Deputy Braydon standing there covered in mud.

"_What the hell are you doing in here?" _The Chief had fumed_, "Go home and get cleaned up, Deputy!"_

But Taylor had been too mad at the _bad fish_ to even notice Quimby was yelling at him.

He stepped up to the desk as mud dripped from his clothing onto the carpeted floor.

"_It HIT me!"_ He exclaimed with a wild look in his eyes, _"It hit me!"_

And he threw his arm out as he gestured angrily, sending mud flying about and as it hit Mayor Wilson's blue silken dress she gave a cry of alarm.

But Taylor hadn't noticed that.

"_It smashed the boat, it threw me from the water_!" He ranted, "It has thrown down its fishy... _flippery thing _- and now _I've_ thrown down the gauntlet!"

And he leaned over the desk with his eyes blazing.

"_I need a bigger boat – RIGHT NOW!"_

And Taylor slammed his fist onto the desk and mud flew up, going _splat_ in Quimby's face and spattering his pristine uniform.

As he paused to wipe mud from his eyes, the Chief stood up and Taylor suddenly lost all his anger as he realized the Chief looked like his head was about to explode; he had turned bright red and his eyes were blazing like fire as he glared at him.

"I'll deal with you after my meeting," He barked, _"NOW GET OUT OF MY OFFICE, YOU INCOMPETANT IDIOT!"_

"_Sorry Sir."_ Taylor squeaked, and then he had hastily left the room...

_...But the effort had paid off:_

Despite the Chief suggesting rather angrily that perhaps he had lost control of the boat in the strong current and slammed into the rocks by accident, he had agreed to loan him his fishing boat...

Now the sun was getting lower in the afternoon sky but the fishing boat named _Quimby's Pride_ was chugging along the river and as he drove it onwards, Taylor felt a sense of satisfaction:

This was a _real_ boat, the kind that _bad fish_ would be no match for...he was ready to go hunting!

Taylor slowed the boat to a halt and looked out over the seemingly calm waters.

"_I'm back."_ He said in a low voice, _"And this time, I've got harpoons! This is payback!"_

And then Taylor stripped off his shirt, pausing to glance down at the seams of man metal set in his upper body that gleamed in the afternoon sun.

He ran his hand down his micro chips and smiled.

"_I'm a cyborg, I have man metal...no beast is a match for me!"_ He declared proudly to the open waters around him.

Then he turned around and picked up a spear and slowly and carefully began to load a hand held spear gun. The weapon wasn't Quimby's - Taylor had bought it a long time ago purely because he loved the sea but had always thought there could be a possibility that one day he _might_ come up against a monster...

He had gone home after securing the boat, found the mansion empty because Evie had taken the twins for a walk and decided now would be the best time to get showered and changed and leave for the river – _after_ taking the spear gun from its hiding place at the back of the huge garage.

He felt pretty sure Evie would have gone nuts and yelled at him in that sharp, loud way that told him he was in a _lot_ of trouble if she had even _known _he had a weapon like this in his possession – but he figured, he was rich and could afford expensive toys, and besides, he never knew when he might need it on the sea, just in case he ever came across a monster. _Maybe some day they'd be out on his yacht and a huge squid might attack them, it might even try and grab Evie and then she would be glad he had his spear gun... _

As he loaded it he took his time, thinking about how that beast would be in for a _big_ surprise.

Then he walked over to the bow, then he leaned against the rail with the weapon in his hands as he looked down the length of the gun and shifted the targets focus about the empty waters.

"_Come to Taylor!" _He said, feeling sure the beast would rise to his challenge, _"I'm waiting for you..."_

* * *

Chief Quimby was sitting in his office after cleaning off most of the mud from his uniform.

He had considered going home and getting changed but in light of the conversation he had shared with the Mayor before Taylor had burst in, he decided he was better off staying at his post.

Their meeting had been in regard to the rise in minor crimes that had happened over the last six months and the Mayor had always prided herself on claiming Riverton was a crime free town, so he had found the conversation that passed between them to be tense even though they had enjoyed such a close friendship over the years – Mayor Wilson had told him she felt threatened by this new crime wave, and he had promised her that everything that could be done to bring it to a halt was being done.

_He had told her Inspector Gadget was working to solve the case. _

_He had also told her about Neurotech and his suspicions about the owner of the company. _

_And Mayor Wilson had looked at him with a shocked expression on hearing Coral Devonshire was a suspect – because Devonshire had donated a lot of her own personal funds in the past to help with election campaigns... _

This had cast a shadow on the meeting and Quimby had been in the process of reassuring her that Gadget would get to the bottom of it all – and then Taylor had burst in covered in mud, and proceeded to cover everyone _else_ in mud too.

Quimby was reluctant to hand over the keys to his boat because that fishing vessel was his pride and joy, but after yelling at him he had shoved the keys into his hand and told him he had better take care of that boat or there would be _hell_ to pay...

Now he sat in his office drinking coffee and thinking about the case that rested in Gadget's hands.

He had no doubt that the Inspector could mess up sometimes in minor ways, like the odd glitch or mistake, but at the end of the day, Gadget was a crime fighter who had started out as a somewhat incompetent example of the first cyborg police Inspector, but over the years his capabilities had proven to be trustworthy and reliable – he had taken on Claw, he had caught the Riverton bomber and even been a hero of the Battle of Riverton, rescuing his colleague from the ACR.

Of course, all of that had taken its toll on him and even though cyborgs with his extent of rebuilding didn't really age much outwardly, Gadget _was_ getting older and he knew he had the problem with his back sometimes, but that was nothing, it wouldn't stop him fighting crime, the Chief felt sure of it; _Gadget had been in a lot of pain earlier on in the morning that day, but who didn't get the odd ache and pain as they got older?_

Quimby took another sip of his coffee.

_And then the phone rang_.

Quimby picked up the call mentally preparing himself to placate the Mayor once more as she nagged him yet again about the importance of solving this case.

_But it wasn't Mayor Wilson._

As he heard the voice of Lula Smith, he felt relieved.

"Lula," He said warmly, "Good to hear from you. I hope you've managed to fix that glitch with Gadget's back, he's got a big case to start working on."

Lula paused. Then as she spoke again she sounded quiet, too quiet and it was almost as if..._she was holding back tears?_

"I'm sorry Chief but Gadget won't be able to take on the case. His spinal fibers have ruptured and he's been admitted for three weeks of treatment to try and stabilize the cables. After that he's looking a major surgery and he will _not_ be able to return to work."

"What?" Quimby's voice was hushed.

"_The problem Gadget has is not curable. I can treat it but he won't last longer than three years. He's dying, Chief Quimby. He would have preferred to tell you himself but in my role in the situation it is my responsibility to inform you."_

Quimby thought about Gadget, recalling him as the first cyborg crime fighter, the man with the glitches that had caused so much trouble, the man he had yelled at countless times because of it – who had, eventually, proven himself to be a true hero...

_Gadget was dying?_

He took in a breath and shut his eyes as he griped the phone, using his steel mindedness that he had developed over the years in his roles Chief to hold back on his emotions.

"_Inspector Gadget is terminally ill? Are you sure?"_

"Chief Quimby, if I could cure him, I would. But he was the prototype and his spinal cable can not be removed or replaced. And the fibers inside it have ruptured and are splitting and it's the upper half of the cable so it's going to spread to his brain tissue eventually. He's starting on meds today that will slow that process down and then with surgery we can slow it down even further. But it's not a cure. I'm going to apply for some funds from the cybernetic program to research into finding a cure but it may not come in time to save his life."

The Chief gripped the phone tighter.

"You want the funding? It's yours, Lula. I'll inform Mayor Wilson right away and get the paperwork signed. It's all I can do, but consider it done already."

"Thanks." She said quietly, "And Chief, _don't_ sign him off duty just yet. Let him hold onto his job for a while longer, even if he just wants to do some kind of police work from his bed, he needs to feel he hasn't lost that, he cant lose _being_ Inspector Gadget, I think that would be devastating to him, he needs to hold on to that part of his life for as long as he can."

The Chief's voice had choked up with emotion now.

He cleared his throat before he replied.

"Of course...leave it with me, Lula. And I'm sure you're taking great care of him."

"Yes I am." She replied, "I'll call you and let you know how he progresses with the treatment."

"Thank you Lula." He said in a hushed voice, and then he put the phone down.

Suddenly all thoughts of Mayor Wilson's concerns and dealing with the minor crime wave had shifted from his mind.

He sat there and thought about Gadget and the more he thought about him, the more impossible it seemed that he could be dying – he was Gadget, he thought he would go on forever...

Then he blinked a few times and wiped away tears. _As he did that he felt thankful he was alone in his office where no one else could see that just for a moment the mask had slipped, and tough Chief Quimby had taken time to think of his sick colleague and shed some tears..._

* * *

Gadget was in bed now and Penny was sitting at his bedside.

He turned his head and looked at her and said exactly what was on his mind, because it was time to do that now; he had been silent for far too long as he waited and he wanted to get out something that needed to be said.

"Penny..."

She looked into his blue eyes and the apprehension she saw there made her want to cry.

"What's the matter, Gadget?" She said gently.

He swallowed hard as he thought about what he needed to say.

"If this goes wrong –"

"No, don't even _think_ that way."

"No, I have to, Penny. If this goes wrong or if it gets too much for you, if you want to walk out of here I'll understand."

Penny shook her head.

Then she ran her had over Gadget's hair as she a managed a smile that hid her tears.

"I won't leave you." She promised him, "I'm here and I'm staying right by your side."

Gadget gave a weary sigh.

_"I'm so very sorry this had to happen now when things were going so good for us."_

His apologetic tone surprised her.

"It's _not _your fault! You didn't plan to become sick! Gadget, I _love_ you! I'll see you through this, I'll make sure you stay strong. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else right now; I belong by your side."

And she gave his hand a gentle squeeze and then reminded him of the vows they had exchanged on the day of their wedding.

"I married you for better or worse, in sickness and in health - and I meant every word of those vows."

And Gadget looked up at her and love shone in his eyes as he guessed she would never know just how much he loved her, his love went so deep it stretched beyond forever.

"_Even if I die tomorrow I've been the luckiest man on this earth to be with you." _He said quietly_._

And then he fell silent again, thought some more and made a confession.

"I don't think this is going to work." He told her, "I think it's going to make me very sick and then I'm going to die. _I'm starting to think I'm better off going home with you and being with the kids and spending what time I have left being happy, being at home._"

Hearing him talk like that frightened her to think he could be giving up, but she stayed strong simply because she loved him:

Looking at him lying there pale and in pain, she could see that the strong young man who she had once called her Uncle Gadget had got older, he had been through battles that had taken their toll on his cyborg body and now, years later, he was the man she loved, he was the one she would love forever and she had always known because he was the prototype that he could have serious problems as he got older, simply due to his design and the damage he had sustained, but now that time had come, it was harder to deal with than she had expected it to be:

_She had expected him to have problems some day, glitches, programming errors, even needing more parts replacing..._

_But she had never imagined a day would come when she would be told his condition was terminal..._

"You _have_ to try this, Gadget," Penny said gently, "You just don't know, these meds could do wonders for you. Just try it, remember it's giving you a chance and right now that's _all_ you have."

And to her relief, Gadget nodded.

"I know that." He told her, "That's the _only_ reason I'm giving this a go."

And then the door opened and Lula came in with a covered trolley.

She pushed it up next to the bed and uncovered it and Gadget caught a glimpse of needles and tubes and quickly looked away again.

"Gadget?" Lula said carefully, "Are you ready to start, because it's time to begin your treatment."

"_No."_ He said tearfully as he looked back at her_, "But I guess I have no choice..."_


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"_Its okay, Gadget, just keep still."_

He tensed as he heard Lula's voice and then he felt her fingers trace a path down his exposed back, settling around the lump where the break in the fibers began.

"I'm not moving." He promised her as he lay face down with the sheet down to his lower back, "I just want this over with!"

And he rested his cheek on the pillow, his head turned toward Penny who was still holding onto his hand.

"It won't take long." Penny said gently, "And I'm right here with you."

Gadget gave her hand a squeeze.

He knew he was breaking out in a sweat already, even though Lula had done nothing to him yet.

Penny watched as Lula found the right spot in the middle of the cable, and then she winced as she saw the huge hollow needle that was about to be fixed into Gadget's cybernetic spine.

"I'm going to get the line in there first," Lula told him, "Then I'll start the IV to wash out the inside of the cable so it's ready to take the sealant. You'll feel a sharp sting and then some heat and pressure that will go all the way up and then I'll start the sealant running in. I'll tape the IV to your back and you'll have to lie here for an hour and then I can take it out again."

Gadget's hand trembled in Penny's grasp.

"Lula," He said as he kept his face turned away against the pillow, "How bad will this get?"

"You'll feel an intense burning sensation." She told him, "That will come right after I start the sealant. And your thermostat might go a little crazy as the toxins enter your bloodstream and pass through living metal so you'll get very hot."

Gadget laughed nervously.

"So _that_ was why you told me to take everything off...here was me thinking you were trying to recreate a scene from one of Taylor's blue movies...that's the first thing I thought of when you told me to get naked!"

Penny smiled on hearing this and felt hopeful that Gadget would get through this better than he had expected to; his sense of humor was coming back and that could only be a good thing...

"I have to keep a close watch on your thermostat while the drug is being fed into your spinal cable." Lula told him, "You will feel very feverish afterwards but your body can deal with it, but when the sealant is going in, that's when I have to be careful in case your thermostat suddenly spikes, because if that happens I have to give you an antidote."

Worry clouded Gadget's eyes.

"Please don't cut me open again, _don't_ put that wire inside me, I hate that, it hurts!"

"I don't want to put you through any surgical procedures while you have this treatment going on." Lula replied "There's another way I can monitor it."

And she took something off the tray and leaned closer to Gadget so he could take a good look at it:

As he looked at it he wondered what the hell it was; the thing was around three inches long with a broad base and had a pulsing light on its rounded tip. It was metal and looked solid and he could only guess at what kind of technology it had inside it.

"What are you going to do with it?" He asked her nervously.

"I'll insert it while the sealant's going in." She told him, "The machine will link up with your thermostat and send constant readings back to the machine next to the bed. That way, if your internal regulator gets into trouble, I'll know about it the second it happens."

And she put the device back on the tray.

Gadget frowned.

"So it's like a thermometer?"

"That's right."

He caught his breath as Lula placed the tip of the needle against the middle of his back once more.

"Insert it where?" He wondered, "I can't keep that thing in my _mouth_ for an hour!"

"It goes in the _other_ end, Gadget." Lula replied, and Gadget laughed again.

"I hope you realize Taylor Braydon would pay you a _ridiculous_ amount of money to have _that_ experience!"

And Penny smiled too as she thought of Taylor and his fetish for all treatments cybernetic.

Then Gadget drew in a sharp breath and squeezed Penny's hand.

His eyes widened as he breathed harder.

"Okay, the line's in your spinal cable." Lula told him, and as she started the IV Gadget waited, feeling nothing but terror as the fluid tricked down the line that was partly taped to his back.

It felt warm at first, then it tingled and then the pain shot down his spine and up again, past his shoulders and up his neck, breaking off in different directions like spikes of discomfort as it hit the wires that reached brain tissue and the pressure seemed to grow.

"_Oh no I can't do this!"_ He gasped, shaking all over as the pain made him feel as if the back of his head was about to explode.

Lula was still watching the IV.

"I've just flushed the fibers." She said, "Now I'm starting the sealant."

And Gadget breathed in short sharp bursts as he trembled and clung to Penny's hand. Penny was stroking his hair and knowing she was there brought him a degree of comfort, but not as much as he hoped for because the pain in his spine felt like a raging fire.

"The internal monitor will give you some abdominal cramps." Lula said, "And you'll ache across your abdomen for a while after I've taken it out because of the strength of the pulse that links it to the regulator. "

Gadget heard her, he knew she had lowered the covers briefly and carefully inserted the monitor, but as she raised the covers once more over the lower half of his body all he could think about was the pain, it burned up his spine, his head was aching and as the monitor started to pulse he got cramps in his stomach that felt like a bad dose of food poisoning.

"_I...can't...I can't take it..."_ He said tearfully, breathing short shallow breaths as he stared at nothing, gripping Penny's hand yet barely feeling it in his grip because the pain had taken over his mind.

Penny's eyes were filled with tears as she watched him tremble and then he gave a weak cry of pain as he pressed his face against the pillow.

"Can't you give him something for this?" She begged Lula.

"I'm sorry, I can't give him anything at this stage. It could cause him further damage. I _know_ this is difficult but this is all I can do to help him right now."

Penny blinked and tears ran down her face as Gadget began to sweat harder, then shiver and then he cried out in pain again as his body tensed and went limp and he continued to breathe sharp and fast, staring at nothing as the pain overtook his awareness of everything.

"_Difficult?"_ Penny exclaimed, _"He's in agony, Lula!"_

And Lula held back her own tears and shook her head.

"_I'm sorry."_ She said quietly, but Penny had not heard her, Penny was leaning over him now, pressing her face against his cheek as she whispered to him that it would be over soon, and then she told him to hold on because she loved him so very much...

Lula watched as Gadget tensed and weakly struggled to bear the pain and then she glanced at the clock:

Only ten minutes had gone by and he would have to put up with this agony for another fifty minutes. He would have to face the same pain again tomorrow and the day after that - he would have to go through this for twenty one days before the cables were effectively strengthened long term to get him through surgery...

She heard Gadget give a muffled cry of pain and then a sob as Penny held him tightly and he trembled in her arms as he pressed his face against her shoulder, wishing the pain would just stop.

Lula watched the monitors, turning her back because she could bear it no longer; she could not bear to see Gadget suffer for another moment because she knew she was too close to tears now – and in a situation where she had to be professional, she had no choice but to hide her emotions - _even if those emotions felt like they were ripping at her heart as sure as if it had become entangled in barbed wire..._

* * *

Evie was pushing the twins in a stroller, they were snuggled up and strapped in and smiling and cooing in delight as their mother walked along the path beside the riverbank.

"TAYLOR!" She called out, and Taylor heard her, turned and waved and then pointed at his watch and called back to her:

"_I'm giving it till six pm and then I'm coming ashore!"_ And he jumped up and down and waved.

"_Hi Taylor Tots!"_ He said joyfully to the twins, _"Daddy loves you!"_

And Evie waved again.

Then a car pulled up and she turned around to see G2 had just parked off the roadside.

"Hi G2!" She said warmly, completely turning her back on Taylor and the river as she turned the stroller around and headed over to the car.

* * *

Over on the river, Taylor gave a sigh of frustration as he put the spear gun down... he _couldn't_ let Evie see him using that thing...

And then the water rippled and a long, powerful sliver back broke the surface, gliding straight past the fishing boat.

Taylor's jaw dropped and his eyes grew wide.

He glanced back at the shore; Evie had her back to him, she was leaning in the car talking to G2...

_If he was quick, he had a chance to take a shot at that thing and she would never know about the spear gun!_

He grabbed the weapon and ran up to the bow, leaning far over and firing just as the creature passed by, rocking the boat in its wake.

The spear sailed through the air and the barb hit its back – and bounced off with a clang.

"_What?"_ Taylor exclaimed.

He struggled to reload and then he fired again.

The second spear flew straight and true – but Taylor's aim was _not_ and the spear hit the water and vanished.

Taylor dropped the spear gun.

"It's _not _over!" He said sharply to the deep waters that surrounded him.

And he guessed the creature agreed too, because suddenly the boat was turning around as if caught in a whirlpool.

_Then it was raised from the water..._

"NOT AGAIN!" Taylor cried in panic, as a great flick of its mighty tail sent him flying through the air, off the boat and across the water.

This time he hit the grassy bank with a thud and rolled, missing the mud.

He scrambled to his feet.

"HA!" He said "You didn't mess me up THAT time!"

And then his smile vanished as Quimby's fishing boat smashed into the rocks much further up the riverside and fuel ignited with a boom, exploding the craft into thousands of shattered, burning pieces that scattered the muddy river side and sent splintered wreckage into the water.

Up on the roadside Evie gave a gasp as she turned back to the water and saw a plume of smoke rising in the distance.

"Oh my God, _Taylor!_" She yelled.

G2 got out of the car, anxiously scouring the river for signs of life.

"_I'm okay!" _Taylor yelled, sounding anything _but_ okay.

He half slipped but dragged himself up the grassy bank, brushed some grass from his jeans and stood there shirtless, his chest heaving hard as he tried to contain his anger.

"I'm so glad you're safe!" Evie exclaimed.

But Taylor was furious, he was also upset and he was frustrated too and it was all balling up inside him in a big bundle of emotion and he then gave a sob and fell to his knees, his gaze fixed on the river.

"_It sunk Quimby's boat!"_ He yelled, "It threw me out again! _Bad fish! Baaaad Fiiiish!_"

And then he sucked in a breath, blinked and tried to calm down a little.

"I'm going out again tomorrow!" He said as his voice went up an octave, "I'll catch that thing, I _will_ do it! _I'll get that bad fish!_"

And Evie put her hand on his shoulder and spoke to him kindly.

"Yes, maybe you'll catch it tomorrow. Until then you've got plenty of time to explain to Quimby how you accidentally drove that boat into the rocks!"

Taylor's eyes grew wide as saucers as he stood up.

"_It was the monster! It flipped me with its tail! Didn't you see it?"_

Evie and G2 exchanged a puzzled glance and both shook their heads.

Taylor glanced at his baby sons cooing and laughing together in the stroller.

"Taylor Tots...did _you_ see it?"

And Ollie and Jimmy both gurgled and Ollie looked with fascination at his colourful rattle while Jimmy sucked his thumb and watched his brother.

"I _will_ catch that sea monster!" Taylor wailed, on the brink of tears now.

G2 looked at him with concern in her eyes, reminded much of the time he had once locked himself out of his mansion and got so worked up over it he had even tried to _dig_ his way into the house – _only to find the spare key had been under the mat the whole time..._

"Taylor," She said calmly, "I think Evie's right. Perhaps another day, you will catch this fish. But maybe you should go home now, forget about the non existent sea monster – you can try and catch it another time..."

Taylor went over to his own car and reached in and grabbed his cell phone, starting to dial a number as he went back over to where G2 and Evie were standing.

"I have to tell Quimby I trashed his boat! He's going to _kill_ me!" He fretted.

And Evie reached up and closed her hand around the phone and gently prised it from his grip.

Taylor looked at her with a puzzled expression.

"_Not right now."_ Evie said quietly.

Taylor looked back at her, unable to make sense of the sad look he had suddenly seen in her eyes.

G2 spoke up and explained all that Taylor needed to know.

_"Taylor,"_ She said gently _"Gadget has been admitted to the Cybernetics Center."_

And Taylor put his phone in the pocket of his jeans and looked back at her.

"Well I hope he's out of there soon. It's about time Lula did something about his bad back!"

"No, Taylor," G2 explained, "It's _not _that simple. His spinal cable had ruptured. The internal fibers are cracking and he needs urgent treatment to stabilize him. Penny said there's surgery he can have later on if he gets through the treatment but it won't give him more than three years at the most. _Gadget's dying_."

And Taylor stared at her.

Then he looked at Evie as he shook his head.

"No." He stated, "That's _not_ true, he's okay... he's just got a problem with his back, it's _nothing..._ he's just fine... he _IS _fine, _he can't...he can't die..."_  
And as Taylor gave a sob Evie put her arm around him.

"Come on Taylor, "She said softy, "Let's sit in the car for a while and talk about this."

Taylor was still crying softly and now unable to speak as he nodded in reply.

"I'll put the twins in the car for you." G2 offered.

Evie was leading Taylor back over to the car.

"Thanks G2." She replied.

And G2 pushed the stroller closer to the car, blinking away her own tears. As she looked up she saw Evie open the passenger door for Taylor, who sat down heavily.

"_I want to see him; I want to see him right now."_ Taylor said tearfully.

And Evie wiped a tear from his face and stood there looking kindly at him as the wind blew her fair hair as she nodded.

"Of course you do." She said to him, "He's your best friend I know you need to be with him. Take a deep breath and calm down and I'll take you home to get some clean clothes and then I'll drive you over there, okay?"

And Taylor sniffed and wiped his reddened eyes.

"_Thanks Evie."_ He said quietly, _"I really need to be with Gadget..."_

* * *

Lula covered up the trolley once more and then leaned over Gadget and watched as he lay there breathing slightly faster than usual as he rested with his eyes closed.

His face was pale but he was burning up with a fever and perspiring heavily.

"Gadget." She said, and he gave no response.

"_Gadget."_ She repeated, and he heard her and slowly dragged his eyes open.

As he looked up at Lula his spine hurt, his head hurt and even though that internal device had been removed now he felt as if he'd been punched hard in the stomach.

"What?" He murmured, feeling so sick he could barely focus.

"I've disconnected the line and you can rest now." She told him, "We don't have to do this again for another twenty four hours. By then you'll be able to handle another dose. Remember each time you go through it you're making yourself stronger, even if you don't feel that way right now."

Gadget gave a groan as pain registered on his face.

"This treatment won't work, I hate it too much..."

"You don't have to like it for the stuff to work." She reminded him, "I'll leave you to get some rest now."

And she glanced at Penny.

"If he gets too hot or starts soaking the sheets with sweat, sponge him down with some cold water. Apart from that there's nothing you can do but be here for him."

Penny nodded, and then turned back to Gadget. She closed his hand in her grip and silently watched over him, watching his every breath as if afraid it would be his last.

* * *

Lula left the room quietly and walked down the corridor, turning the corner and entering the room of her other patient.

Gears was sitting up in bed.

Lula's jaw dropped for a moment and as she stared at him.

"_Leave it alone!"_ She said in a shocked voice.

And Gears drew his hand out from the open panel where he had been cautiously touching the now gleaming clockwork as he admired the mirror shine coating of the new living metal within his own body, and then he shut the panel again.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist touching it." He admitted, "It looks beautiful, by the way."

And he smiled at her.

Lula put her hands on his shoulders and gently eased him back onto the pillows.

"You've been through a major procedure –"

"_And I feel great!"_

"And you need to rest! I can schedule your skin covering for the body plate tomorrow. You were very lucky; you got though the infusion process with no problems at all. But you _must_ rest, Gears!"

He gave a sigh.

"Can you get my cell phone, please? It's in my jacket... assuming I'm _allowed _a phone call..."

And Lula caught a cheeky sparkle in his eyes. She laughed and shook her head as she found his phone and handed it to him.

"Do you _promise_ me you'll stay in bed?"

He nodded.

"Cross my heart, Dr Smith. I won't be going anywhere..."

And then he hit speed dial and listened, waiting for an answer.

Then he smiled again as he heard a familiar voice.

"Magnet!" He said warmly "How are things, Sir? Going well, I trust? Have I left everything in capable hands?"

And then he listened for a moment and laughed.

"Oh, I miss the cougar!" He exclaimed, "And the panther too! I'm fine...absolutely fine...I'll be back home tomorrow-"

He noticed Lula was shaking her head.

"Oh..._not_ tomorrow... the next day, _probably_..."

The he listened again before speaking up.

"No, no, don't worry about me! Tell everyone I'm fine, I've had the procedure and it couldn't have gone better. I feel great and I can't wait come home...no, there's no need to bring her to the phone, tell her I'll see her when I get home. _Tell my wife I love her, tell her I said she's my beautiful angel_..."

Lula walked out of the room and closed the door, leaving him to talk in private.

As she headed back to her office she felt surprised to think Gears was married because he looked so young – but she was even more surprised to hear him talking about his exotic pets..._ a cougar and a panther?_

Then Lula reached her office and went inside and closed the door.

As she sat down at her desk she reached out and lifted up one of many small framed photos she kept there- it was a picture of Gadget standing next to the Gadget Mobile; in this picture he looked much younger and had two year old Emily in his arms as he smiled for the camera.

Lula thought about the pain he was in, she thought about how cruel life had been to him simply because he had been the first cyborg and now impossible to repair - and she thought about how she wished she could put her arms around him and tell him that she still loved him, that she saw him in Emily every day, that she wanted to hold him and comfort him and if she could she would have changed places with him and suffered his pain instead of him – but she could _never_ say these things because Gadget was married to Penny and he loved her and he always would...

_And that was when Lula came to the conclusion that life had also been cruel to her, but in a different way._

And then she quietly shed tears for Gadget and for the fact that she had waited and let the years roll by - and now it was too late to tell him all that she kept in her heart; pain was something that could come in many guises, but for Lula nothing cut deeper now than the pain of regret...

* * *

The car pulled up outside the cybernetics lab.

Evie glanced at Taylor, saw the look in his reddened eyes and she grabbed the sleeve of his leather jacket.

"_Don't_ go in there sobbing and crying! You have to be calm, think about how Gadget's feeling."

"_I am."_

As Taylor spoke up he blinked as more tears blurred his eyes and he took in a sharp breath.

"I don't know how long I'm going to be, I'm staying here as long as he needs me, Evie."

As she looked into his eyes she saw so much fear and heartbreak; Taylor looked as if his world had just been shattered by the news about Gadget.

Evie leaned closer and put her arm around him, knowing there was nothing she could do or say that would make him feel any better; Gadget was his best friend and he needed to be there for him.

"I'd come with you but I have to get the boys home." She reminded him.

And he looked back at his sons who were in their baby car seats and as they smiled at him he smiled back even though his eyes were filled with tears.

"I'll see you soon, Taylor Tots." He said, then he turned back to Evie and gave her a kiss.

"I don't know what time I'll be home." He told her.

Evie nodded.

"That's fine. But call me later. And say hi to Gadget for me, tell him I'm thinking of him – we _all_ are."

Taylor got out of the car.

"I'll do that." He said sadly, "See you later, Evie."

Then he stood back and watched as the car drove away.

As the car turned the corner and disappeared from view he felt even more tearful to think that Evie and the twins were not with him right now – it was going to be a hard thing to do, walking in the cybernetics center and seeing Gadget so sick like he was - but he took a deep breath and remembered what Evie had told him, that he _had_ to be strong for his best friend.

Then Taylor walked up the steps and entered the building.

* * *

After making enquiries at the main reception and being told Inspector Gadget could not have visitors at this time, he demanded again to see him and was directed to Lula's office instead.

So Taylor went off in the direction of her office, with every step he took he was determined he would see Gadget right now, no matter _what_ the stupid rules said about very sick patients..._his best friend needed him, he was sure of it_.

Taylor went up to the office door and grabbed the handle and pushed it down and walked in without knocking. It was something he wouldn't have dreamed of doing a sort while ago, but today had been a tough frustrating day with the thing in the river and two boats getting smashed up and now finding out that Gadget was so sick, he was sure this was turning out to be the worst day of his life, so knocking on a door was something he wasn't inclined to do when all he really wanted to do was see his best friend.

Taylor went inside and closed the door.

"_I want to see Gadget right now!"_

And then he blinked, staring at the person behind the desk, who clearly wasn't Lula:

_There was a guy sitting at her desk._ He had an electronically locked box of computer files in front of him and, strangely enough, a letter opener in his hand. He looked young, no older than twenty five and his shirt was open and beneath it Taylor couldn't help but notice he had a panel that ran down one side of his body that had recently been coated with living metal that gleamed with a mirror shine, making the tin whistle he wore around his neck look faded by comparison.

"Lula's not here." The young man informed him.

Taylor blinked.

"But I want to see Gadget and I have to see Lula first."

Gears picked up the letter opener again and pushed it against the box, giving a sigh of frustration as the metal tip slipped again and the box stayed locked.

"She might be in the lab..." He guessed, avoiding the gaze of the man he now recognised from the newspapers as Gadget's Deputy, Taylor Braydon.

"Thanks." Taylor said, then he turned to leave, but stopped and looked back at the man behind the desk.

As he looked back at him, Gears felt his heart start to race as he wondered if Taylor would work out that he had sneaked in here, because Taylor's gaze shifted to the letter opener and the sealed box once more.

Then he spoke again.

_"You can't open that thing with a letter opener."_ He stated, _"You need your pass code for the key pad."_

And Gears ran his fingers through his dark spiky hair and laughed nervously.

"You won't believe this, but I've forgotten it!"

"I know the feeling." Taylor agreed, "I have to get my wife Evie to look after all the keys to the house and stuff like that – I'm always losing things too."

And then Taylor reached into the back pocket of his pale blue jeans and drew out his wallet. He flipped it open and handed him a credit card.

"I've got one of those boxes at home for –"He paused, deciding now was _not_ the time to mention his collection of X rated robofetish DVDs, "...doesn't matter what I keep in it... If you slice the card along the seal and give a wiggle and a push about halfway it should spring the lock for you."

He took the card and suppressed a smile as he slid the card against the seal just like Taylor had instructed and the box sprang open.

Gears handed the card back to him.

"Thanks." He said, and started to quickly search through the files.

Taylor turned to leave, but then he turned back again just as he reached the door.

"By the way –"

Gears looked up nervously wondering if Gadget's Deputy had finally figured out he was breaking into private files.

"What?" He wondered.

Taylor's mind was fixed on thoughts of being with Gadget, but he couldn't leave without saying something that he felt deserved to be said.

He looked back at Gears and indicated to the living metal that covered the panel on his chest.

"_Nice metal plating work."_ He said, and then he walked away.

Gears breathed a sigh of relief and snatched up the file he had been searching for and slid it into the disc drive.

As the contents came up on the screen he grabbed a blank file from the pocket of his shirt and slipped it into the computer and hit the _copy_ option.

"Oh no!" He said under his breath as a demand for a pass code came up on the screen.

Then he took in a deep breath and closed his eyes, still feeling as if his memory was partly cloudy from being anaesthetized for the living metal procedure.

"_What_ is it...?" He murmured, and then he remembered, turning back to the keyboard and tapping in a hacked password.

As the computer granted access, he hit _copy_ again and the disc copied in seconds.

Gears laughed as he took out both discs, returning Lula's copy and locking down the box, then putting the copy back in his pocket.

"_Thank you for the code, Mr Magnet..."_ He said, thinking of his closest friend - who was known as Magnet because he could pull _anything_ open with his hacking skills...

Then he put the box back exactly as he had found it.

As he got up he paused, noticing one of Lula's many pictures that stood on one side of her desk: _Inspector Gadget holding a little girl in his arms as he stood next to the Gadget Mobile: this had to be Emily, his daughter by Lula Smith..._

Gears thought about Inspector Gadget and how sick he was and hoped that the good Lord Lazarus would be watching over him at this difficult time.

Then he left the room before he got caught and asked questions he would not be able to answer...

* * *

Lula had just returned from the lab and was on her way back to Gadget's room when she noticed a familiar figure walking towards her:

He was tall and wore a brown leather jacket, pale jeans and motorcycle boots. As he got closer he ran his fingers through light brown, sun-streaked hair and blinked tearful, reddened eyes. He looked as if he had been crying for a long time.

Lula felt her heart ache for him; _Taylor Braydon had heard the news about Gadget_...

He fixed his gaze on her as they met in the corridor and as he spoke his voice was choked with tears.

"_I want to see Gadget!" _

Lula didn't waste time explaining that he needed to rest – Taylor and Gadget were so very close she knew Gadget would want to see him no matter _how_ sick he was feeling...

"Of course you can see him, Taylor. Come with me."

As she led him down the corridor, she briefly explained and hoped that this would prepare him for seeing Gadget feeling so unwell. She knew when he saw him it would be a shock but all the same, if she warned him first perhaps he would understand what to expect, because the treatment had hit him hard.

"Gadget's having a daily dose of very strong medication to strengthen the fibers in his spinal cable. It's very exhausting and painful to go through, but in the long term it will make him feel a lot stronger."

And she opened the door to Gadget's room and Taylor stepped inside.

Penny looked up from Gadget's bedside.

"Hi Taylor." She said quietly.

Taylor said nothing in reply as he walked closer to the bed, his gaze fixed on his best friend:

Gadget was on his back, beneath white sheets and his head and shoulders were supported by several pillows. He looked pale and shadows were visible under his closed eyes, he was perspiring heavily as he took in short, shallow breaths.

"_What have you done to him?"_ He demanded as he looked accusingly at Lula.

"Taylor, please be quiet, he's asleep!" Penny reminded him, but Taylor's eyes were blazing as he glared at Lula Smith.

"I may not be a genius but I _do_ know about cybernetics!" He said sharply, "And he shouldn't be in a mess like this! What are you putting inside him to bond those fibers back together?"

Lula ran her fingers nervously through her hair and took in a deep breath, getting ready for Taylor's reaction when she fully explained. He was right; he wasn't too smart - but he _did know_ a lot about cybernetic procedures because of his longstanding fascination for the subject...

"I'm using a sealing agent." She explained, "But he can't have pain relief with it because the additional drugs could penetrate the fibers and cause further damage at this stage. So just sealing agent, that's all I _can_ use at this stage in his treatment."

Taylor's eyes grew wider as he stared at her in disbelief.

"_You stuck sealing agent in him?"_

And Penny spoke up again.

"Please keep your voice down, Taylor! He's been in a lot of pain, he needs to rest."

_But Gadget had woken up._

He slowly dragged his eyes half open and saw Taylor standing next to his bed..._Taylor was here? _

Then as he became more aware of his surroundings, he realized Taylor was glaring angrily at Lula and he watched as a conversation unfolded:

"_Sealing agent?"_ He said again, "Have you gone nuts? You can't administer that without _heavy_ anaesthesia!"

"But it's all I can give him to strengthen the fibers." Lula stated.

"_It's an industrial strength chemical!"_ Taylor yelled, _"You'll kill him!"_

"And if I don't seal the fibers we can't slow down the disintegration!" Lula told him, and now she was on the brink of tears, "He won't last a week without this treatment!"

Then Taylor's voice dropped a little.

"How are you going to slow this down? You _can't_ slow it down!"

"I'm hoping after three weeks of therapy with the sealant, the fibers will be strong enough to withstand surgery. The plan is to open him up and at least totally seal off the fibers that connect to brain tissue."

"_He wont live that long!"_ Taylor exclaimed, _"You're filling him with industrial strength sealant? You're putting him through three weeks of this torture! It wont work, Lula – you'll kill him!"_

Lula's voice started to break up as she looked back at Taylor.

"Gadget was the prototype. His essential design is significantly different to modern cyborg design. This treatment is _all_ I can offer him to extend his life. _I know he's dying, but I'm trying to buy him some time!_"

And Gadget drew in an unsteady breath, leaning on Penny who helped him to sit up and then rest against the high pillows.

"I _am _still here." He reminded them.

Taylor and Lula looked around and Lula's eyes filled with tears as she realized Gadget had just heard every word that had been said.

Gadget briefly closed his eyes before looking back at Lula and Taylor. The pillows felt soft and eased the pain that throbbed in his head; the bed was comfortable enough to make the burning pain in his spine more bearable too. He still felt weak, he still felt sore, but the pain was easing off to a level that he could handle now a few hours had passed by since Lula had given him the treatment.

"I know you're trying to help me." He said weakly to Lula, then he looked fondly at Taylor.

"Just come and sit with me, don't worry about what meds Lula's giving me, just come and sit next to me, Taylor."

As Taylor sat down beside Gadget's bed, Lula left the room and closed the door behind her.

"Sorry I got mad at Lula." Taylor said quietly as he took hold of Gadget's hand, "But I can't _believe_ that stuff she's giving you – its way too powerful to be given to a conscious patient. It's dangerous, too..."

And as Gadget saw deep concern in his eyes, he tried to lay his fears to rest.

"I'll be okay Taylor. Try not to worry...dont get upset... "

And then Gadget closed his eyes again, comforted by the fact that he had Taylor sat at one side of his bed, Penny at the other and they were both holding his hands.

Taylor looked tearfully at Penny.

"Lula can't put him through this." He whispered, "It's too painful, he won't make it...I don't think she _knows_ how to fix him."

And Penny fell silent for a moment as she watched Gadget slipping back in an exhausted sleep.

She brushed away beads of sweat from his brow and then ran her hand over Gadget's damp hair.

In that moment she noticed he looked so pale and sick he was starting to look so much older, too; she hadn't seen every line on his face so visible since he had been caught in the terrible explosion caused by the Riverton Bomber...

_Penny had never thought she would ever see him looking so weak again_.

She had considered the worst time in her life to have been those dark days that followed the bomb blast, when Gadget had spent two weeks fighting for his life, but this was _much_ worse – and she knew Taylor was right; Lula _was_ limited when it came to treatment options and no matter what happened next, it was certain Gadget faced more pain and that was how life would continue, no matter how long or short the rest of his life turned out to be.

Penny stroked his hair again and took comfort from knowing that the pain couldn't reach him while he slept.

"I don't think this treatment will save him." Taylor said as he looked sadly at his best friend.

"But he _has_ to try this." Penny replied quietly, "Its his only chance."

And Gadget knew nothing of the conversation that went on around him, because he was now deeply asleep - _and sleep was the only place where the pain couldn't find him..._


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

It was growing dark when Taylor Braydon began his drive home from the Cybernetics Center.

He had wanted to stay all night, but after Gadget had woken up and seemed to be feeling a little better, Taylor had eventually listened to him when his best friend had reminded him that Evie and the kids would be missing him.

He had given Gadget a hug and kissed his cheek and promised to come back in the morning.

Penny had reminded him not to show up too early, because Gadget was scheduled to have more treatment at nine a.m.

_And Taylor had driven home keeping his best friend in his thoughts all the way._

By the time he parked his car outside the mansion and got out and looked up at his big impressive house and thought about Evie and the twins, he _still _couldn't get Gadget out of his thoughts.

_He felt like crying all over again._

And then he looked past the big fountain at the side of the drive way and realized there were other cars here:

_The Gadget Mobile was here, G2's car was here - and so was a little yellow sports car that he was sure he had seen Alicia driving around in..._

Then another car rolled up in the drive and he blinked in surprise: _it was Lula's car.._.

As she got out he recalled the way he had spoken to her earlier on and felt slightly guilty.

"Hi Lula. Sorry about what I said, I was just upset, I was shocked and –"

"That's okay, I understand, Taylor."She replied, and then she opened the passenger door and Emily got out of the car.

She looked up at Taylor and smiled although her eyes reflected sorrow.

"Hi Taylor." She said, "I'm here to help the rest of the family make a big card for my Daddy. It was Evie's idea."

As the front door opened Evie greeted Lula and asked her how Gadget was doing.

"He's resting and he's having a much easier night now his fevers gone." She told her, "And after Emily's signed the card we have to go home, because I'm going straight to bed and starting an early shift in the morning so I can be back with Gadget. But he's _not_ alone, Penny's with him and there are lots of staff on night shift so he's quite safe."

And then Emily ran into the house and Lula followed her.

Taylor lingered in the doorway as he looked at his wife.

"What's this about the kids making a card?"

And he stepped inside and Evie closed the door.

"I've got them all in the kitchen – Maxie, Emily, Grace and Alice. Obviously Hope's too young to write anything –"

"But I got her to put her hand in the paint and make a little hand print!" Benji said as he joined them in the hallway with Hope in his arms. The little girl laughed as she looked at the green paint that covered her hand..._and_ her yellow dress...

"The kids are making a big card for their Daddy," Evie said, "I thought it might be a nice idea to get them all together and talk about why Daddy needs to be in the hospital at this time and then get them working together to make him a nice card."

Then Benji spoke up again.

"Evie and G2 sat down with the kids and explained that Gadget has a serious problem and needs to be looked after at the Cybernetics Center, and they explained he's going to be in there for quite a while, it really helped for the kids to have this talk."

And then Hope playfully patted his face and smeared his cheek with green paint.

He laughed as he looked at Gadget's youngest daughter.

"You got me!" He exclaimed, then he bounced her in his arms as she smiled.

"Come on Hope," He said, "Let's go and see what the other kids are doing with your Daddy's big Get Well card..."

Taylor watched as his eldest son carried Hope in the direction of the kitchen.

"He's great with kids." He said.

"So are you." Evie reminded him.

Then Taylor thought about the twins.

"Where's our Taylor Tots?"

"Ollie and Jimmy went to bed an hour ago." She told him.

And Taylor stepped closer to Evie and looked into her eyes lovingly.

"I think you came up with a great idea." He told her, "Gadget's going to _love_ a big card made by all his kids together!"

Then he paused to give her kiss before going through to the kitchen to see the card Gadget's children were making for him.

* * *

As Taylor walked into the kitchen he saw a big white card on the floor.

It was open and Grace and Emily were side by side writing little messages next to their names.

_Grace had written: 'Please get better soon Daddy I love you'._

_Maxie had written: 'I love and miss you come home soon.'_

_Little Alice had scrawled her name in bright pink crayon._

_At the corner of the card was a painted hand print and G2 had written beneath it, 'with love from baby Hope – x'_

Seeing the kid's messages for Gadget brought tears to Taylor's eyes all over again, and then as he glanced over the card again he smiled as he read Emily's message, she has written so neatly and her words clearly showed she paid a lot of attention to her mother, who was head of the Cybernetics Department:

_'Dear Dad, please rest and do what my Mom says because she's a cyborg doctor, and you are a cyborg, so she will try to fix you. I love you very much...'_

As the girls finished their messages, Maxie was decorating the border of the card.

Then Taylor felt a thump against his legs and looked down to see Alice smiling up at him as she hugged him.

_"Tay!"_ She said joyfully, _"Gimme Tay Tay hugs!"_

Taylor lifted her into his arms and as he looked at her he was reminded just how much the color of her eyes matched Gadget's and he thought of his best friend and his heart ached all over again.

He looked over the other side of the kitchen, where Alicia was talking with G2.

"I can't believe he's so sick!" She exclaimed, "I was so shocked when I found out."

G2 nodded.

"I know, we were all shocked." She agreed.

Then Lula came into the kitchen and checked her watch.

"Come on Emily." She said, "We have to go – you have school in the morning and I have to be back at work early."

"To look after my Daddy." Emily replied as she went over to her mother.

"Yes, to take care of your Daddy." Lula agreed.

She said her goodbyes and then left with Emily, just as she had walked out the door Benji came into the kitchen, he still had paint on his face but he had washed it from Hope's hand now.

"Are we ready to go back to your place?" He asked G2.

She saw that Maxie had finished decorating the card.

He put it on the kitchen table and she called to him, and then G2 then took Alice by the hand.

Benji glanced back at Taylor.

"See you later, Dad, we're off now."

"See you, son." Taylor said quietly as he looked back at Gadget's card:

_It was folded shut now and he was looking at the picture on the front, it was full of flowers and pretty patterns and he guessed the kids must have spent a long time making it look so nice..._

Grace looked up at her mother.

"I just want to go and say Good bye to Maxie." She told her.

Alicia nodded.

"Okay, you do that, honey." She replied, sounding miles away in her thoughts.

* * *

As Grace left the room to wave goodbye to Maxie, Taylor stepped closer to Alicia, who was facing the window with a far off, troubled look in her eyes.

"I know you used to be close to Gadget." He said to her, "We're _all_ worried about him, we're all going through the same thing right now."

And Alicia turned and looked at Taylor, as she spoke she felt sure that Lazarus would _not_ approve of what she was about to say, but she voiced her feelings all the same:

"_I blame Lula for this!"_

Taylor blinked.

"For what? I don't get what you're talking about..."

Alicia ran her fingers through her long dark hair as her eyes clouded with anger.

"Gadget's in the hospital dying because he's got a damaged spinal cable! It wouldn't have got damaged in the first place if _Lula Smith_ hadn't cut it while she was treating him after the bomb went off at Mayor Wilson's house!"

Taylor stared at her.

"No...It's not her fault, Alicia. You can't blame her for that!"

"_But she did it!"_ She exclaimed, "If she hadn't cut the cable he wouldn't have this problem today! It's _her_ fault!"

Taylor shook his head.

"No, it's not." He stated, "Gadget was caught in an explosion and he had human and cybernetic injuries. She had to treat him at the scene of the explosion or he would have died. She had to cut the cable so she could seal off a leak for him. And the fibers in the cable got damaged when his thermostat crashed - because he was critical at the time! _None_ of that is Lula's fault!"

And then Taylor felt the pain of deep regret as he thought about a past he could not alter as long as he lived:

"_It was the bombers fault."_ He said quietly, "Delia Braydon, my late wife. It was _her_ fault he got injured in the first place, because she planted a bomb and he was trying to clear the building and save lives. _Don't_ blame anyone except Delia. And she's dead now. So there's no one left to blame for this any more. _We just have to hope Gadget pulls through, that's all I'm doing –I'm not wasting time looking for someone to hate for it, I'm just hoping and praying my best friend lives._"

Alicia nodded

"So am I." She said quietly, "That's all I want too, I want Gadget to come through this, I can't imagine this world going on without him."

Taylor patted her shoulder.

"You've just got to hope things will turn out okay." He said, "That's what I'm doing."

And Alicia's eyes filled with tears.

"_Lazarus told me that all life comes to an end eventually, because it is the way of things."_

And Taylor thought about the man who had married Alicia and was raising Grace as his own daughter:

_Some people said Eddie Lazarus was the Cyborg King._

_Others said he was a holy man, maybe even God himself..._

_But as far as Taylor was concerned, he was just a guy called Eddie and he lived in Riverton, over the bridge in Cyborg City..._

"I guess that's true." Taylor agreed, "But that doesn't mean Gadget will die any time soon. He's strong, he's a fighter. And we all love him, he knows that."

"That makes sense." Alicia replied, "And right now all we can do is hope for the best."

Then she heard Grace calling out _Bye_ to Maxie and she headed for the door.

"I'd better go now." She said, and she walked out of the kitchen to find her daughter and take her home again.

* * *

Standing alone in the kitchen, Taylor picked up Gadget's card and looked at it again:

The front said _'We Love you Daddy'_, and inside, above the children's names, a message was written in G2's handwriting: _'To Daddy, with love from Maxie and your four girls.'_

Taylor put the card down again.

As he thought of Gadget that ache was back in his heart.

And then he noticed a spare piece of card left on the other side of the table.

Then he got an idea:

_He would make Gadget a card too! _

Taylor sat down at the table and placed the card in front of him, and then he picked up a pen and started to draw.

As Taylor worked on the card and drew carefully on the front of it he suddenly felt a lot happier; this would be a great surprise for Gadget, he would be getting a home-made card from his kids - _and_ one from his best friend, too...

* * *

When morning came, Gadget woke up feeling as if every bone in his body ached. He thought about switching on his Gadget Mode to analyze how his body was dealing with the toxins but decided against it because he knew turning it on could lead to disaster – he didn't know how much control he had over those functions while he was sick like this, so it was better kept switched off...

Penny was up and dressed and although she had brushed her long hair it was still damp from the shower as she tied it back in a pony tail.

She turned around and looked at him and as she smiled he felt a wave of love rush over his heart.

"Good morning, sweet heart." She said softy, "How do you feel? You look a lot better..."

Gadget gave a sigh.

_"I feel like I've been hit by a truck."_

And he sat up cautiously, and then he got out of bed, leaning against the wall as the room spun around.

Penny was at his side in an instant and as she put her arm around him he felt a lot safer once more.

"I'll help you in the bathroom." She told him, and carefully led him across the room to the open door.

Penny _did_ help him.

She held him up as he stood over the toilet and then as the room span again, she stayed with him and helped him to get into the shower and then she kept a steady hand on him to make sure he didn't slip as he washed away the sweat from his body.

After the shower she helped him out again and he sat on the edge of the bath as she dried him with a towel and then helped him to put on a bathrobe.

"Thanks Penny." He said quietly, "I wish I could have done this by myself... I'm not used to needing help."

And Penny just smiled and told him it was no trouble at all, even though her heart was aching because she could tell the treatment was already taking its toll on him and it wouldn't be long before he couldn't get out of bed at all... and she thought some more about what Taylor had said, about how the sealant was dangerous and highly toxic. But Lula had said, this was _all _she could do for him...

_All the same, it was only knowing the fact that this treatment was his only hope that was stopping her from following her instincts and getting him dressed and taking him home, where he wouldn't have to have more of that painful stuff pumped into his body, where she could take care of him and spare him this pain..._

Gadget got back onto his bed, resting on top of the covers and he lay back against soft pillows as his head ached and the pain spread down his neck and began to creep along his spine. It was bearable now, but as he looked at the time he felt a deepening sense of dread at the thought of going through all the pain a second time when nine a.m. came around...

"Want me to call down and ask for breakfast?" Penny wondered.

Gadget shook his head.

One look at him told her he could not face the thought of eating _anything_ right now...

"Maybe later." He told her, and then he fell silent again.

Penny sat on the bed and shifted closer, putting her arm around him and as he leaned against her he gave a sigh.

"_In a strange kind of way I'm not afraid of dying."_

"Don't talk like that!" She said at once, feeling a flicker of panic at the slightest hint that he was giving up the fight, "You're _not_ going to die!"

But Gadget had things on his mind and he wanted to share it all. He turned his head as much as the pain would allow as he rested against Penny's shoulder and looked up at her.

"You and me have made some wonderful memories."

And as he smiled he looked pale and the shadows under his eyes were still heavy.

Penny returned his smile and held back her tears as she thought about all the memories she held dear of the man she had once called her Uncle Gadget.

Then she stroked his face and looked into his eyes.

"It's not over yet, we'll have more memories."

"But if we don't get that chance I have to think about making a will- I've never got around to it and I think I really should do it. I know I'm not rich but I've done okay for myself and I want to make sure you and the kids are okay – and Alice... Emily's financially secure but I'd like to leave her something, and Grace too, just so they remember me."

Now tears were burning at Penny's eyes as she held her husband tighter.

"They could _never_ forget you, Gadget!"

And he managed a weak smile.

"I'm _not _scared of dying." He said again_, "I'm more scared of leaving behind all the people who I love – so I guess I must have had a life that was worth living."_

Penny wanted to tell him to stop talking like that, but she was too choked up to speak.

Then the door opened and Lula came in.

Gadget saw the trolley and felt a wave of panic pass through his metal infused bones as memories of the pain came rushing back at him.

"_Let's get this over with."_ He said quietly, and sat up stiffly and started to take off his bathrobe.

* * *

Taylor Braydon pulled up outside the Cybernetics Center just after eleven that morning.

"Be sure to tell G Man I miss him." The car said.

"Of course I will." Taylor replied, "And while he's away, I'll drive you, and then you won't be lonely!"

"I'd rather have Gadget." The car replied, "But I guess you'll do for now!"

Taylor picked up the cards and got out of the Gadget Mobile.

"I'll be back later." He told the car.

Then he walked up the steps to the entrance, smiling as he thought how pleased Gadget would be to have a card from his kids – _and _a card from his best friend, too...

He went inside, walked up the corridor and still had a smile on his face as he opened the door to Gadget's room.

And as he closed the door behind him and looked over at Gadget's bed, his smile vanished:

Gadget was on his side and shivering and sweating as Penny leaned over him and tried to comfort him, but he barely noticed he was there as pain overtook his body and he cried out, struggling weakly as he sweated and shivered and gasped for air. The thin sheet that had covered his naked body was off him now, in a damp heap at the bottom of the bed and Penny was pausing in between talking to him softly as she tried to sponge him down.

Gadget turned over as he gave a sob and Taylor stared at the blackened puncture wound in his lower back that was leaking fluid.

Then his best friend went over to his bed and sat on the edge of it.

Penny gently held Gadget's shoulders as she tried to steady him as he trembled, then she looked tearfully at Taylor.

"He's been like this for an hour. It's worse than yesterday, and Lula said the hole in his back would close up because its cybernetic skin - but it's not closed up yet."

Taylor took a deep breath and reached down, carefully squeezing the puncture wound together.

Gadget gave a whimper of pain and Taylor swore he felt his pain too, but he held the skin together firmly, trying not to think about the severe bruising around it.

_"Ten seconds..."_ He said quietly, remembering how fast modern cybernetic tissue bonded when pulled together, _"And I'll let go..."_

Those seconds seemed to drag as Gadget cried out again and Taylor watched as the cybernetic skin began to bond.

As he let go the pinched skin snapped back into place, black and blue around the needle mark – but the hole had started to seal now, the beginnings of that seal had just started to show with a layer of protective metal beneath forming a seal to pull the skin back together.

"How come Lula didn't think of that?" Taylor wondered.

Penny wiped her eyes and shook her head.

"She said to leave it to settle down, it would be better to let the hole close up automatically than force it – but Gadget can't keep still because of the pain."

Taylor leaned over Gadget and gently stroked his hair.

"Gadget it's me, it's Taylor."

Gadget was still struggling to breathe through the pain that had taken over his spine like the cable was on fire.

He slowly opened his eyes and looked up at Taylor's blurred image.

"_Taylor..."_ And he gave a sob, _"I...can't do this...any more...I want to go home!"_

Gadget's words were slurred.

Taylor looked back at Penny with deep concern in his eyes.

"How come his speech is all messed up?"

Penny was still tearful.

"He was getting ready for the treatment and just as Lula was about to put the needle in his back he started to panic and he couldn't deal with it. So she gave him a mild sedative straight into the main artery that leads to his human blood supply. It won't last long, but it got him through the treatment. She had to push the sealant through faster this time just to get it over with for him..."

Taylor frowned.

"But she said he can't have any other meds while he's on this stuff."

"He can have certain _human_ drugs – tranquilizers or painkillers, but the effect is so mild it wears off too fast. It's the _cybernetic_ drugs that he can't have – and those are the ones he needs, because this sealant is a cybernetic chemical, he's got _nothing_ to counteract the effects of it."

Taylor gave a sigh.

Gadget was exhausted now; he had passed out more than fallen asleep, and done so out of sheer exhaustion and as he breathed heavily Taylor reached over and picked up a spare sheet, draping it over Gadget to party cover him as he slept.

"_I don't think he can take much more of this"_ He said quietly, _"And he just said he wants to go home."_

Penny looked at Gadget, who was pale as death and breathing hard as he lay on his side sleeping as sweat poured from his body.

_She knew Taylor was right._

_She didn't want Gadget to give up, but she didn't want him to die like this – in pain as he took a drug that had terrible side effects, knowing there was little hope he would get through the three weeks of agony he had to face..._

_It was too much._

"Let's see how he feels when he wakes up." She said quietly, "This has to be his choice... I don't want to see him suffer like this and I think you're right; Lula's never treated this problem before because Gadget is unique, but I _don't_ think this treatment will save him. I can see it now – he won't get through it."

And she blinked and tears ran from her eyes.

She stood up and leaned over the bed, kissing Gadget's cheek as he slept.

"I love you so much." She said tearfully, and then she went into the bathroom to wash her face and try and calm down a little.

Taylor gently stroked Gadget's cheek as he sat beside him.

"Its okay, Gadget." He said softly, "You can do whatever you want to do, it's _your _life, it has to be up to you..."

* * *

Four hours later, Gadget woke up feeling weak and hurting all over.

He blinked slowly and the world came into focus and he remembered where he was and as traces of the pain came back to haunt him and he gave a sob.

"_I want to go home..."_ He said weakly as he gripped Taylor's hand, _"Please...get me out of here. I can't do this..."_

Penny had gone home for a couple of hours to see the kids. Taylor had promised her he would do exactly what Gadget asked, and Gadget was making his wishes very clear now.

"Are you _sure _you want to stop the treatment?" He asked him.

Tears ran from Gadget's eyes as he looked pleadingly at his best friend.

"_I want to go home..."_ He begged, and then he sobbed again.

Taylor nodded.

"Okay, maybe if you go home Lula might be able to figure out a different way to treat this problem, you might be able to come back and have some different meds...I know for sure you can't take any more of that sealant."

Gadget reached up and grabbed hold of Taylor, who put his arms around him and helped him to sit up.

"Penny went home to see the kids. She's back soon. I said I wouldn't let you do anything until she gets back here."

Gadget took in a breath and his stomach hurt as much as his back.

He looked at Taylor with eyes that were now heavily shadowed, but even though he looked so sick; there was strength there in his gaze...

"I'm _not _waiting." He said weakly, _"I'm going home right now. Help me get dressed."_

"We should wait for Penny."

Gadget gave a sigh as he sat back against soft pillows.

"I can't face this again." He told him, "I won't get through three weeks of this, I won't survive that long, this is too painful, I'm already sick and this is making me feel _much_ worse!"

And Taylor handed him the home-made card from his children.

"The kids made this for you last night" He told him, "They want you to get better. But even if you can't, we still love you, we all do."

And Gadget looked at the card made by his children and as he thought of them he knew in his heart that the best place he could be right now was at home, not wasting his time on a painful treatment that was making him sick instead of better...

"That's all I want to do." Gadget said as he put the card down on the table next to his bed, "I want to be at home with Penny and the kids."

And then the door opened and Lula walked in.

"How are you feeling?" She said anxiously, noticing Gadget still looked pale and weak.

_"A lot better for the decision I've made."_ He stated, _"I'm going home."_

Lula stared at him.

"You're _not _cured, Gadget! After the side effects wear off you'll start to feel great because of the sealant starting to work - but at this stage I can't say how long it's bought you – I don't _know_ how much time you have left. You could die at any time without more treatment! That ruptured cable is like a time bomb –"

"I'm going home." He repeated, "Because I can't take any more of the treatment. I'm already feeling worse for it, I won't get through three weeks of this torture."

Lula took in a shaken breath and stepped closer to the bed.

She threw aside her professional role and looked at him as Emily's father instead of her patient- _because that was who he was, he was Emily's father and she would never stop loving him - and she wanted to try and keep him alive even if she was uncertain that the treatment would work..._

"I can't promise you that _anything_ I can try will help you, Gadget! But I'm trying to keep you alive because you're Emily's father and I love you so very much!"

And she blinked back tears.

Gadget looked into her eyes.

_"I'm going home to Penny."_ He told her, _"I want to be with Penny. And I want to see my kids."_

Lula looked back at him as her eyes reddened and became glassy with tears, and then she nodded.

"If you start to feel severely unwell come back here and I will do everything I can for you." She said in a hushed voice, "But you _have_ to understand that if this condition progresses any further it _will_ be too late."

"_It's already too late."_ Gadget replied.

And she said no more as she left the room.

Gadget looked to Taylor.

"I don't have any regrets." He told him "I don't have long to live – but I want to spend that time _living_ my life, not shut away in this place having toxins pumped into my body making me even more sick!"

And Taylor fell silent, and then he remembered something:

_"I just want you to know...I made you a card too."_ He said.

Gadget still felt weak, still ached all over but he forgot it all as Taylor handed him the card and he looked at the picture on the front and smiled and then started to laugh:

It was a childish looking drawing, made in pencil and coloured in with crayon, two figures stood next to the Gadget Mobile, they were standing so close they looked as if they were holding hands. One wore a brown jacket and had big cyborg arms and the other wore a trench coat and hat..._and both had no shirts on; Taylor had taken his time and carefully added very noticeable microchips to the chests of both of them..._

Gadget felt a little confused as he saw the red heart drawn above them with the letters _BF _in capitals.

"_Boyfriend?" _He wondered, still feeling a little vague in his thinking because of the medication.

Taylor's face turned scarlet.

"_Best friend."_ He said quickly.

And Gadget smiled at his own mistake and opened the card and read the message:

'_Dear Gadget, please get well soon, or even if you can't get well, please, just don't be hurting any more. I would go through this pain for you, instead of you if only I could, I love you. – Taylor.'_

And Gadget looked fondly into Taylor Braydon's eyes.

"_I love you too."_ He said warmly, and he leaned forward and put his arms around him.

Taylor embraced him tightly, giving a stifled sob as he kissed his cheek and then moved in to kiss him again.

Gadget pulled back and started to laugh once more, even though he ached all over and laughing hurt a great deal.

"_I just wanted some help to get up!"_ He said as amusement danced in his eyes, "Could you help me out of bed please, Taylor? I want to get dressed!"

Taylor smiled at his own mistake; he was still blushing over the mistake about the card.

"Sure." He told him, and as Gadget leaned heavily on him, he helped him to get out of bed, so he could get dressed and be where he needed to be – _at home with Penny and the kids..._

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Gadget straightened his tie as he sat in front of the mirror. He put on his hat and buttoned up his trench coat and turned his head stiffly and looked at Taylor.

"I almost feel okay again." He stated, and Taylor briefly smiled, but then his smile faded:

Gadget _was far from okay, he was pale and weak and had noticeable shadows beneath his eyes. He was still perspiring and couldn't stand or walk without support. But that didn't matter now; it was only a short walk to get out of here and into the Gadget Mobile..._

Then he cautiously stood up and leaned against the table, as he did it pain etched across his face as the agony started up in his spinal cable all over again and burnt like fire.

"Do you want me to ask Lula for a wheelchair?" Taylor wondered.

Gadget took in a deep breath and shook his head.

"I'm _walking_ out of here." He told him, feeling determined to do this the way he wanted to instead of giving into the weakness that kept threatening to overwhelm him.

Taylor put his arm around him and Gadget leaned on him heavily as they made their way out of the room.

Gadget was breathless by the time they reached the entrance and stepped out into the open air.

As the Gadget Mobile pulled up Penny jumped out, staring at her husband, who was dressed and ready to leave - and was leaning heavily on Taylor...

"What are you doing?" She demanded as she ran up the steps, "Does Lula know you're leaving?"

Gadget nodded.

He let go of Taylor and leaned on the rail as he started to slowly make his way down the steps.

"I've made my choice; I'm going home. I want to be with you, Penny... I want to be with my kids, too."

And then weakness over took him and he couldn't fight it any longer as he slipped to his knees.

He heard Penny shout his name as she reached for him, but Taylor had got there first, pulling him back to his feet.

Then Gadget could do nothing but lean against him as he struggled to stay conscious; the after effects of the sealant were coming back to haunt him again...

"_Take me home..."_ He said tearfully, _"Please...don't take me back to the lab, I can't go through any more pain...I just want to go home, Taylor..."_

And Taylor looked into his eyes and saw so much fear reflected there; it was the fear of suffering pain and he understood that well from the time he had been captured by the ACR and used for weapons testing during the Battle of Riverton.

He blinked away tears as he remembered how Gadget had lifted him from his bed and carried him out of that place, the last words he had heard as he passed out had been Gadget's voice as he made him a promise:

_"You're going home, Deputy Braydon..."_

Penny was looking anxiously at Gadget.

"He's passing out!"

Taylor lifted him into his arms.

Gadget looked up at him.

"_Please, Taylor... don't take me back to the lab..."_ He whispered as he started to sweat heavily once more.

Penny ran on ahead and opened the passenger door of the Gadget Mobile.

"I'm _not _taking you back to the lab," Taylor told him as he carried him towards the car, "Don't worry, Gadget – my man metal's strong enough to carry you any where you want to go..."

And as Gadget began to slide out of consciousness, Taylor's eyes blurred with tears as he pressed his face against Gadget's cheek and spoke tearfully, knowing it was now his turn to make a promise:

"_You're going home, Inspector Gadget..."  
_


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

_Gadget's last memory had consisted of attempting to make his own way down the steps- and swiftly collapsing - as he left the Cybernetic Center_.

As he opened his eyes and look in a sharp breath he looked around, afraid he would see the walls of the room where he had suffered so much pain because of the sealant.

But then he recognized the walls of his own bedroom and he breathed a sigh of relief; _he was home at last..._

Pain coursed through his body and as he trembled he felt as if his metallic bones were rattling; it seemed as if the treatment intended to help him had almost killed him, he felt as if his bones were just about ready to shatter.

He knew he was sweating and breathing heavier than usual as he looked around and saw no sign of his wife.

"_Penny?"_ He said weakly and tried to sit up, but fell back exhausted.

"Penny's gone to see the kids to tell them Daddy's coming home." Taylor told him as he stood next to the bed, "But she's _not_ picking Maxie and Hope up today – she wants to wait for the side effects of the sealant to wear off, because if Maxie sees you like this –"

"He'll get upset." Gadget guessed.

And then he looked up at Taylor as emotion washed over him and gave a sob.

"_Thanks for getting me home..."_

Taylor looked down at the floor briefly as he took in a deep breath; he wanted to cry too, but at the same time he knew Gadget needed him to stay strong.

Then he looked back at him and smiled fondly.

"You don't have to worry about anything; I'm going to look after you, Gadget."

And Taylor took hold of the sheets and pulled them back.

Gadget looked down and felt surprised to find that he was naked again.

"Did Penny undress me?"

"No, I did." Taylor replied, "By the time we got you home, your clothes were soaked with sweat all the way through to your trench coat. I'm glad you're awake now, I've just run you a warm bath."

Gadget briefly closed his eyes as he lay against soft pillows that eased the pain in his head that radiated down his spine.

"I can't move, Taylor. Just forget about the bath."

"No, you need one." Taylor said, "Let me clean you up, Gadget."

And Taylor leaned over him, sliding his arms around and under him as he lifted him from the bed.

Gadget was about to tell him this could wait, but as Taylor lifted him up his neck jolted and Gadget gave a cry of pain.

Taylor held onto him tightly, being careful not to move his head again.

"It's okay, I've got you...and I can lift you easily, Gadget. My man metal can handle this, I told you that before I put you in the car..."

Taylor carried him into the bathroom and he gave up on protesting as he was carefully lowered into the water.

Gadget gave a sigh as the warmth seemed to sink into his aching body, easing away the worst of his pain.

Taylor kept one arm around him to make sure he didn't slip under the water as he took a sponge and began to gently bathe him with it.

"You don't have to do this for me..." He murmured, feeling so weak he could barely keep his eyes open.

Taylor looked at him kindly.

"Yes, I _do_ need to do this, Gadget. I _can _do it and I _will_. I know how to take care of people when they get sick."

As Gadget looked up at Taylor he felt surprised that his best friend could be so calm and capable at a time like this. _When he thought of Taylor in a crisis, he mostly recalled the incident where he had locked himself out of his mansion, tried to dig his way in and been a sobbing, hysterical wreck by the time G2 had found him..._

"I never knew that." He said weakly.

"You're still strong enough to fight this, Gadget." Taylor told him, briefly glancing down through water as the gently slid the sponge lower, "You're still the same guy I've always known - with that _amazing_ rebuilt body..."

Gadget smiled.

"You mean my pelvic reconstruction? I thought that sponge was going pretty low down..."

And Taylor's heart ached as his gaze briefly wandered through the water, catching sight of Gadget's naked body, filled with metal seams where artificial flesh met living metal and then he glanced lower, where scarring covered his reconstructed pelvis. He thought of everything Gadget had been through over the years to upgrade his body, to gain back as much of his humanity that he could, and he blinked rapidly determined not to cry for him now, in front of him.

"You're still strong enough to fight." He promised him, "You can live with this thing for a _long_ time; I'll help you cope with it."

And Gadget gave another sigh and said nothing in reply.

Then as he held him, Gadget's body relaxed and briefly jerked as his muscles let go of all tension. Then Taylor felt him go heavy and as he looked up he realized Gadget had fallen asleep as he held him there; his head was resting on the arm Taylor was using to keep his head above water.

"Let's get you dried off." He said softly, and lifted him from the bath and carried him back into the bedroom where he laid him on the bed in the middle of a big, soft towel he had spread out earlier on.

Gadget stirred but carried on sleeping as Taylor took a second towel and gently dried him off, then he slid it behind his head and softly rubbed his wet hair.

Then Taylor lifted the towel away and stared at the short dark hairs that had come away with it.

"That sealant's making your hair fall out." He said quietly, "But its ok, Gadget, you don't have to take that stuff any more..."

And he gently turned him on his side, inspecting the healed needle mark in his back; it had closed up completely but the bruising was lingering, a sure sign that the toxins in the sealant had been too much for his body to handle.

He drew the other towel from under him and carefully straightened him up so he was lying comfortably in the bed. Gadget continued to sleep deeply, giving another sigh as he pressed his cheek harder against the soft pillow that comfortingly smelled of home.

Taylor took the covers and drew them up to Gadget's shoulders and then he carefully ran his hand over his damp hair.

"_You get some sleep."_ He whispered_, "That's what you need to do..."_

And he leaned over him and gently kissed his cheek, before taking the wet towels and leaving the room.

Gadget slept on, he was sleeping deeply and for the first time since the pain had started, he was finally resting peacefully, too.

* * *

Lula Smith was silent as she scanned the young man lying on her table in the lab.

_But he was far from silent._

"...And so I decided, given that many of my kindred choose to have visible metal work, I've decided against the skin covering for the panel. The living metal is as sensitive as human skin and I want to keep the cybernetic part of me exposed."

Lula turned the scanner off.

"Sorry, I didn't catch all of that..." She said vaguely as she looked back at him and shifted the scanner aside.

Gears sat up; he was fully dressed except for his shirt and as he got off the table he grabbed it and put it on, buttoning it up quickly and then adjusting the tin whistle on the chain around his neck before putting on his cotton scarf and loosely tying it.

"I said I've changed my mind about the flesh covering for the panel. It feels so sensitive I don't see a reason to cover it. I like it the way it is."

Lula nodded.

"Fine, I'll get you a refund for the procedure you've cancelled..."

"_No."_

Lula blinked in surprise.

"I'm offering you one third of your _money_ back and you don't want it?"

"I would like you to keep the money and use it to help someone else. Use it to help someone pay for a treatment if they can't quite afford it - but I mean someone who _needs_ it, not some guy coming in asking for a vanity job. I want that money to genuinely help another cyborg."

Lula was still staring at the young man with the clockwork insides who wore a tin whistle around his neck.

"Are you _sure_ you want to do that?"

"The commandments of Lazarus state that a cyborg should _always_ help those who are kindred in flesh and steel - it is forbidden to stand back and do nothing for a fellow cyborg when there is something that can be done."

And he put on his jacket.

"Am I fit to leave now?"

Lula gave a sigh.

"Oh I see, you're one of those followers of Eddie Lazarus...I've heard about his growing reputation. That's fine, if you want to do that, I'll use the money as you've requested. But I _would_ prefer it if you stayed one more night, I'd be happy to discharge you tomorrow morning. But I'd like to run one more scan in twenty four hours just to be sure the living metal has stabilized. It seems to have taken very well, but I'd prefer to be cautious."

Gears shrugged.

"Okay, I'll stay one more day." He replied, "But then really must get home."

And then he noticed the sad look in Lula's eyes.

"Is everything all right? You seem upset."

Lula shook her head.

"I can't discuss other patients with you, Gears."

He made a guess.

"How _is _Inspector Gadget?"

As she remembered this guy was well meaning and had every good intention, she shared a little of her knowledge without breaking company rules.

"He's decided not be an inpatient, as of today."

Gears heard the deep concern in her voice and guessed at once that Gadget had made a decision that had left her shattered.

"He looked _very_ sick when I saw him in your office. I hope he recovers soon."

And Lula just nodded again, then fell silent and continued to clear away the lab equipment.

_But Gears was still standing there watching her._

As she finished clearing the scanner away, she looked back at him.

"You can go back to your room and rest now, Mr Gears."

"There's something I'd like to ask you." He said, "It's about the money I said to keep for a cyborg who needs it – I'd very much like you to spend it on medication for Inspector Gadget. Obviously I can't ask about his medical records but he was here for treatment and now he's not and you're clearly concerned about him, so I'm guessing something didn't work out. Perhaps you could give him some pain relief; he might be in need of it."

Lula raised an eyebrow as she looked back at the young and who seemed to know far more than he should about this situation.

"Yes...thank you, I'll certainly do that. It's very generous of you, Gears."

And Gears smiled.

"_I like to be helpful."_ He replied, and then he walked out of the lab, leaving Lula feeling even more curious about this young man who seemed to carry an air of mystery about him - but what ever that mystery was, she couldn't _quite_ work it out...

* * *

As Gadget woke up a second time he gave an easy sigh and shifted slightly beneath the covers; the pillow carried the scent of Penny's hair and only served to remind him that he was _definitely _home.

He felt relaxed now; the aches and pains that had been unbearable now felt like mild bruises that only reminded him of their presence when he attempted to move, so he lay back against the soft pillows as he slowly opened his eyes, feeling relieved that the world was coming into sharp focus now; he was feeling a _lot_ better...

Taylor came into the bedroom and his eyes lit up and he smiled as he saw Gadget was awake once more.

"You look so much better!" He said warmly as he sat down on the bed.

"I feel so much better - Lula said I would for a while..." Then Gadget thought about her warning...what had she called it, _a time bomb_ inside him?

Gadget cautiously sat up, pushing the pillows back so he could lean against them as vague aches and pains lingered.

"She also said the treatment I had will buy me a little more time."

Taylor frowned as he thought about how the sealant had affected him.

"You were so exhausted you fell asleep in the bath." He told him, "Even when I dried you off and put you to bed, you didn't wake up. And I'm sorry, but some of your hair came out while I was drying it, if you look in the mirror it doesn't show, but quite a bit of it came out."

Then Taylor looked into his eyes.

"But it doesn't show." He promised him, "You still look like Gadget."

And Gadget ran his hand over his hair and looked back at Taylor.

"I read the long list of side effects before I started the treatment. I was expecting that to happen. If I have the surgery I'll lose my hair anyway - Lula said she'll have to make a big cut to open me up to get to the wiring inside my head."

Worry clouded Taylor's eyes.

"You're still thinking about the operation?"

"I don't know yet." Gadget replied, "But I _do_ know I can't take any more of that sealant - I felt like I'd been poisoned."

"But not now?"

Taylor was looking at him hopefully.

"Not now." He promised him, "I'm starting to feel a _lot_ better now I'm home."

And then he smiled gratefully at Taylor.

"Thanks for taking care of me like that. I never knew you could be so -"

And Gadget stopped, wondering if Taylor would feel offended if he said _capable_. Taylor often missed insults by mile, even when they were flung in his face, and he didn't want to add to that by taking the slightest chance that Taylor could be offended if he'd said that.

"You didn't know I could be so _helpful?_" Taylor offered.

And Gadget nodded.

"I never knew you could take care of someone so well, Taylor."

And Taylor sat there for a moment just looking at him. Gadget seemed so much better now and knowing that fact was enough to lift his mood a little; it had been an emotional day. But as he thought about what Gadget had just said to him, he looked to his best friend and suddenly felt that nothing could go unsaid, _nothing_ needed to be avoided any more, even the kind of stuff he hadn't thought about for years because the memory had been too difficult to discuss...

"_I used to look after my brother."_

On hearing this, Gadget felt nothing but confusion.

"You don't _have_ a brother, you're an only child."

Taylor's eyes had lost their sparkle and his voice dropped low as he explained:

"I _had_ a little brother. He was _nothing_ like me - he was _really_ smart - but he didn't really use it much, he was always fooling around, he was always getting into trouble, too. He used to get drunk and mess around with drugs. One day he stole a car and there was an accident. He was smashed up even worse than the car... He couldn't get over it; the doctors said he would never recover properly. I tried to help him, my parents tried to help him too ..."

And Taylor fell silent for a moment, turning over events in his mind that made him feel as he spoke of it all like he may as well have dug into a grave that had lain cold for a very long time.

"What happened?" Gadget said quietly, knowing by the haunted look in Taylor's eyes that this story would _not_ have a happy ending, but as Taylor spoke again the answer was far worse than he imagined it could be:

"He went out one night while my parents were fast asleep. He sat on the beach and looked at pictures of me and the rest of the family, and then he took off his watch and his jacket and left them on the sand. He walked into the sea and killed himself. He couldn't live with what the accident had done to him. I'd just got married to Delia at the time when it happened. I got this phone call to say my baby brother was dead. He was fifteen years old and he was gone, my brother Raymond was dead."

And pain reflected in his eyes as he looked at Gadget and spoke from his heart:

"_That's why I'm an only child now. My family doesn't talk about Raymond. I'm all they've got now, but I'm not like he was – I'm a good boy, I'll never mess up like he did..."_

As Gadget looked at him, all concerns for his own well being evaporated as he thought about Taylor's loss and the pain his family had been through.

"I'm sure you tried your best with him." He said gently, "And at least he's at peace now."

And then he smiled kindly.

"And you've _really_ helped me today with the way you took care of me." He told him, and it came as a great relief to Gadget to see the light come back into Taylor's eyes.

"I did?"

Gadget nodded.

"I feel _so_ much better thanks to you!"

And it warmed his heart to see Taylor smile again.

"That's great!" He exclaimed, "That's what I wanted to do, to take care of you and make you feel better, I'm _so_ glad I did a good job!"

And then Taylor's cell phone rang.

He was smiling as he answered it, because Gadget had just said he was feeling better – and then his smile vanished and his eyes grew wider as he heard Chief Quimby's furious voice on the other end of the phone:

_"WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY BOAT, DEPUTY BRAYDON?"_

Taylor winced, shifting the phone away from his ear.

Gadget looked at him in surprise; the Chief was yelling so loudly that he could hear every word he said.

"YOU RAN A ROW BOAT INTO THE ROCKS AND THEN YOUR DROVE _MY FISHING BOAT_ INTO THE _SAME _ROCKS! THAT'S _TWO_ BOATS DESTROYED IN A SINGLE DAY, BRAYDON!"

And Taylor cautiously pulled the phone back to his ear.

"Sorry, Sir..." He said nervously "It wasn't me, it was _the_ _se_a _monster _–"

And then as Quimby yelled again Taylor winced in pain as the sheer volume of his angry voice threatened to deafen him.

"But its okay, Chief!" He said hopefully, "I'm rich; I can _easily_ buy you another boat! That's what I'll do - I'll get you another fishing boat, a _bigger _one, a _new _one –"

"_I LIKED THE ONE I ALREADY HAD!" _The Chief fumed, _"And then you went and smashed it up!"_

"I'll get you _another _one! I'm sorry, Sir!"

Quimby raised his voice again, launching into a long and angry lecture about how, as Gadget's Deputy, he expected him to be _far _more competent and certainly _not _getting boats smashed up on the river. Finally the lecture ended and Quimby asked him gruffly, "Did you get all that, Braydon?"

"Um..._yeah_..." He said quietly.

"Is that _all_ you have to say?" The Chief fumed.

"_Yeah..."_ Taylor said again, and then Quimby cursed angrily under his breath and hung up.

Gadget, who was feeling considerably better now the effect of the sealant was leaving him, felt _much_ more alert now - and it showed in his eyes as he looked at Taylor.

"What's this about trashing _two_ boats in one day? And one of them was _Chief Quimby's_?"

Taylor thought of the sea monster and his eyes narrowed.

"That _thing_ flicked its stupid, fishy tail and knocked me out of the water – _twice!_ There IS something in that river, Gadget - and I'm going to catch it!"

Gadget stared at him.

"You're sure about this, Taylor?"

And Taylor thought about the fish that had wrecked two boats and thrown him to shore twice and nodded.

"I _will _catch that fish!" He said angrily, "I don't care _how _big it is, and I'm not scared of its _stupid metal tail_ held together by _stupid rivets!_"

"_Rivets?"_ He exclaimed feeling sure that if his Gadget Mode had been switched on, _something_ would have popped up or come out of his hat out of sheer surprise, "You saw a metal tail held together with _rivets?_"

Taylor nodded.

"_Yeah! Stupid fish must be trying to match my man metal!"_

Suddenly all thoughts of how hard the effects of the chemical sealant had hit him had vanished; Gadget felt fired up to do what he needed to do – to get out there and be on duty because something was going on...he already had a case to solve and now it looked like he had _two_ cases to solve...

"Metal and rivets?" He repeated, "Taylor, you didn't see a fish – that was _submarine!_"

And Taylor looked back at him with wonder in his eyes.

"_I never knew submarines were born with tails!"_ He exclaimed.

Gadget made a move to get out of bed, but as he sat there on the edge of it ready to stand up he paused, shaking his head.

"Are you okay?" Taylor asked him as worry filled his voice once more.

And Gadget looked up at him and laughed.

"_Submarines are born with tails?"_

And he shook has head again, before standing unaided and feeling pleasantly surprised that he really was starting to feel a lot better now – and he hoped it would last as he went over to the closet and took out some clean clothes and started to get dressed.

Taylor was still watching him closely.

"Maybe you should stay in bed."

Gadget was busy getting dressed now.

"I have more than one case to work on now," He told him, "I can't waste time in bed when you think you've seen a sub in the river – and I've _still_ got to get over to Neurotech and find out exactly what kind of programming they're selling to clients. We've had intelligence that suggests the company has been selling cheap memory boosters to cyborgs and slipping in deliberate malware. And this could be a murder case, too – almost three years back their head of programming Professor Byron voiced his suspicions about plans to implant dangerous programs into cyborg clients, and it looks as if they killed him for it, too. Some of these private companies can be ruthless – and they don't care _what_ kind of programming they put into people..."

And Taylor, whose fetish for all things cybernetic had taken him to every end of the cybernetic market over the years, knew what he was talking about right away.

"But all that private programming stuff is over at the end of the month, the government are making all non approved companies illegal."

"That's why I have to move fast on this," He told him, "Because there's a suggestion that clients are being implanted with chips that prompt them to commit crimes. There's been a series of incidents over the last six months, including those two guys who held up the store when you got shot! Quimby wanted me to go over to the company and ask for a chip, I was going to get one fitted and then have Lula take it out and see exactly what's inside it."

"No, you're too sick!" Taylor said sharply,"You can't do that, Gadget!"

By now Gadget was dressed.

He paused to straighten his tie in the mirror and then he turned around and looked at Taylor –who instantly regretted reminding him of his weakness, because now he saw hurt in his eyes.

"_This is my last case, Taylor!"_

"I didn't mean it like that...I just meant, _take things easy,_ Gadget! You have to be sure you're feeling better, at least for a little while – you have to be sure this will last. You can't take on a case and suddenly get sick again-"

"No one knows when I'll get sick." He replied quietly,"Even Lula can't tell me how long I've got. I have to make the most of every moment I have left."

And on hearing those words, Taylor looked down at the floor, not wanting Gadget to see his eyes had filled with tears again.

Then the bedroom door opened and Penny walked in.

She looked at Gadget in disbelief: _A short while ago he had been too sick to stand up. He had even passed out because of it. And now he was dressed and reaching for his hat and trench coat..._

"Go back to bed, honey!"

"I feel a lot better. The toxin's effects have worn off. I want to go and see Quimby about my case –"

He stopped right there as her hand closed over his just as he reached for his hat.

"Please Gadget." She said gently,"Go back to bed, just for today. The kids are coming home tomorrow, they will want to spend time with you and -"

She took in a sharp breath as her eyes became tearful.

"_And I want to spend time with you too, as much as I can get!"_

Tears were running down her face now.

"_I just want to be with you!"_ She said as her voice choked up, and Gadget pulled her into his arms and held her tightly as she pressed her face against his shoulder and wept.

He glanced up at Taylor, who suddenly felt awkward to be standing there watching as Penny sobbed and begged him not to leave her side.

"I'd better go home now." He told him, "Don't worry about the case, Gadget. Just take one day at a time."

And Gadget nodded, and then he held Penny tighter as she sobbed in his arms.

* * *

Taylor Braydon left the house with a heavy heart; as he thought of Gadget he felt relieved that the side effects from the treatment had worn off, but at the same time he felt a sense of dread because he knew Lula was right – _Gadget wouldn't feel okay forever_...

He got into the Gadget Mobile and the car woke up at once and the engine purred to life.

"How's G Man?" The computerized face on the screen asked as it looked up at him.

"He's feeling a lot better." Taylor said, "But we don't know how long that will last. He wants to go back to work, too."

"But that's got to be a _good_ thing!" The car exclaimed, "If he keeps himself going doing all the things that make him happy, I'll bet he'll live for a long, _long_ time!"

Taylor frowned as he looked down at the screen.

"But he's sick, Gadget Mobile!"

"And work might be just the thing he needs! I can drive him around, I can keep an eye on him – he's got Penny looking after him too, me and Penny have _always_ taken care of him, we just have to watch him a bit closer now...he'd be _so_ happy to be back on duty, Taylor!"

As they drove along Taylor thought about it and came to the conclusion that perhaps the car had made a good point; Gadget was _always_ on duty and he would feel lost without doing what he did best, being a crime fighter.

_Except that now he was sick and needed a lot of help..._

Taylor started to smile as he thought of an idea.

"I've got it!" He announced excitedly, "Gadget _can_ handle another case - I'll help him solve it, I'll get to work on it right away, take me over to the Neurotech building, I'm going to crack this one for him!"

"Are you sure?" The car wondered, "On your own, without Gadget?"

"Don't worry about me!" Taylor announced as he drove along with a big smile on his face and a sparkle in his eyes, "I'll be just fine – _Deputy Braydon is on the case!_"

* * *

As Gadget held his wife gently in his arms he said her name softly.

"Penny, please don't cry."

And Penny looked into his eyes and saw such kindness there, it seemed as if Gadget's own heart was breaking simply because he knew that he was the reason she was weeping.

"I can't promise I'll be around forever." He said softly, "I want to live forever but I guess none of us get to do that – we all have to die sometime but it doesn't mean my time will be soon. I feel a lot better now I've stopped having the treatment, maybe I'll go on a lot longer than Lula said, maybe I'll prove that diagnosis wrong."

And he pulled her closer again as he gently stroked her face.

"The love I feel for you is enough to keep me alive, I swear it is! If love could cure me, I'd already be better, Penny! This is what I want, to be with you and the kids...and to be Inspector Gadget again, to be on duty. I just want to feel normal."

Penny blinked back more tears.

"_But things can never be normal again."_

And as she looked in to his eyes and he saw such heartbreak there, the past flashed through the mind of Inspector Gadget:

Once, he had been John Brown, security guard. A human with a fragile human body and a fragile human heart, until the explosion had happened that had taken away his human body and replaced it with machinery.

Over the years he had felt many emotions about that transformation into Gadget; depression, despair, loss, hope, rebirth – but even now, after the long hard journey that had seen him become the defender of Riverton and the embodiment of a modern-day knight in shining armour, he still had that one weakness that had the power to strike pain into all men:

_His heart was still human and could be broken._

And seeing the pain in Penny's eyes as she looked at him reminded him of that fact – after he had become Gadget he had never expected to truly find love, to know the kind of closeness that other men shared with their lovers.

But the upgrade to his body had changed so much, and yet now when his body was failing, all he could think of was the fact that his human heart was breaking, and would have broken just the same had he still been John Brown, security guard when this day had come and he looked into the eyes of the woman he loved and saw tears there because he was dying...

_"I don't want to lose you."_ Penny whispered.

Gadget's voice was tearful as he softly made her a promise:

"_You'll never lose me, Penny. Even in the next world I'll still love you. I could never let go of that."_

And before she could say another word he pulled her closer and kissed her, as their lips met he felt her tremble as she gave a sob but he held her firmly, kissing her harder, reminding her that he was still here, still warm and his heart was still beating.

He stepped back and kept hold of her as he sat down on the bed, then he lay back, pulling her with him and as they rolled together and hit the pillow he paused, remembering his Gadget mode was off, he was still weak from the sealant therapy and his cybernetic spine was breaking.

"I can't switch on my Gadget Mode," He told her, "So I can't promise this will be too great."

Penny looked at him, she studied his face, his eyes and then her gaze fell on his lips and she kissed him again.

Then as she pulled back, Gadget reached up and loosened his tie, slipping it off and dropping it to the floor not caring where it fell as he unbuttoned his shirt and pushed it open.

Penny gave him four soft kissed down the row of micro chips set in his chest and Gadget spoke again:

"Even if all we do is kiss and hold each other, I want you to know that I love you so much, I'd make love to you properly if I wasn't so sick-"

And then he caught his breath as Penny tugged down his zip and pulled impatiently at his clothing.

As she spoke in reply he felt her breath warm on the pipe that ran from his hip to his groin, the trigger for his arousal.

"I'll make you feel good," She murmured, breathing again on the metalwork and then kissing it, _"I'll make you feel wonderful, I'll get you there even if it takes all day..."_

And then she kissed him there again and as he caught his breath a second time and a bolt of pleasure shot through his lower body, he closed his eyes and enjoyed her kisses and her touch – _Penny's determination was getting him there already..._

* * *

Taylor Braydon had walked into the Neurotech building feeling confident, even though he had told Gadget Mobile to go home, just in case Gadget needed him.

The car had pointed out that as he was going into the unknown, it might be better if he had a car waiting, more than that, a _clever_ car that could think and respond to a cry for help - but Taylor had told the car to go home to Gadget, and the Gadget Mobile had obliged, driving off with the parting words:

"_If you run into trouble, remember I told you so, Taylor!"_

But Taylor had felt rather pleased with himself as he took a seat in the main reception and waited for his name to be called. He had been told, on asking for some urgent programming work to be done, that this place was strictly by previous appointment only – _until he gave his name and flashed his cash..._

Then he sat waiting, feeling so very pleased to be taking on Gadget's case for him. He felt sure when he went back with the evidence, Gadget would thank him...

_And then they would be free to work on his other case – they could hunt the sea monster together!_

Taylor smiled as he thought about buying a huge boat:

_He would have a really big boat, with hi-tech tracking equipment and big spear guns and maybe even a big net, a net so big it could catch a sea monster! And then he imagined how they would bring it back to shore; him and Gadget would stand side by side as they posed for pictures while the whole town applauded them..._

Taylor could picture it now:

_Gadget's hair would be wet from all the splashing made by the monster as it struggled. _

_His shirt would be off, they would both be shirtless, showing off their man metal, their cyborg bodies would look so great in heat of the afternoon sun as they were both hailed the heroes of Riverton!  
_

_It was a moment they would share together...and Gadget would be so happy he would forget all about his illness, he would be feeling just great - it would be the best, most exciting day ever..._

"Taylor Braydon?"

He was pulled sharply from his daydream, seeing a tall woman aged around thirty with pale blonde hair and ice blue eyes standing before him. Her face looked pale but her lips were painted ruby red and she wore a black, tight fitting business suit.

"Yeah?" He said vaguely, his thoughts still partly with dreams of catching the sea monster.

She held out her hand.

"I'm Coral Devonshire. Welcome to Neurotech. I understand you were in urgent need of some quick programming?"

And Taylor stood up and shook her hand.

"Yes I am." He told her, "I need it today! I want a memory booster because I'm always forgetting stuff and that makes my boss yell at me. I could have had it done at Riverton Cybernetics center but I need it now, _not_ in three weeks time! They're fully booked and I need a fix up _today_."

And Coral looked thoughtfully at Taylor, who seemed every bit as dim as she had heard from the rumors that had gone around about Inspector Gadget's slow-witted Deputy...

"Come with me and we can sign the forms and you can make the payment. I'll have your implant fitted right away." She told him.

And as she led the way, Taylor followed smiling excitedly because he felt _so_ smart to be getting in there and doing Gadget's job for him.

And as Coral glanced back at him she smiled too - because she had been busy, after a series of experiments using cyborgs to commit lesser crimes, to plan a series of hits on leading figures in Riverton, to undermine the town, which would make seizing power a _very_ simple thing to do – and Deputy Braydon was a perfect choice to carry some malware, because she needed someone in the Police Department implanted with the command _Kill Chief Quimby,_ and now she had found the perfect victim to carry it out...


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

As he lay close to his wife beneath the sheets embracing in their bed, as she moved closer to the scent of his body that would forever mingle sweat and oil at these warm, intimate times – an odd thought crossed Gadget's mind:

He felt so good, so alive – _could dying really feel like this?_

Penny was resting in his arms, he felt a glow as he thought of how his touches and caresses had brought her to the edge and then taken her further until she could take no more - he was too weak to make love and too wary of his health problems to turn on his Gadget Mode, which would have solved the problem and easily compensated for his failing connections that made his arousal functions work properly – but he still knew how to satisfy her; he had always stayed true to the vow he had made on the rooftop on the day he had confronted the Riverton Bomber - _she had taken nothing from him and she never would..._

Gadget gave a contented sigh as he drew Penny closer and they rested together.

He still had so much to be thankful for in life. And he wasn't about to let his failing health take from that happiness any more than Delia Braydon had taken from him when that bomb went off at the Mayor's house; _life wasn't about thinking of all that he'd lost, it was about being grateful for everything he still had..._

Penny was relaxed now, contented and if circumstances were any different he would have said nothing to change that – but even though at this moment he felt fine, he knew it didn't change the fact that he was dying. And he owed it to himself to make the most of every moment without apology to anyone – even Penny, because he knew his time could be short...

"Penny, I really need to go back to work, honey. Even if it's only part time, even if I have to cut down my hours - I _need_ my job, I'm Inspector Gadget, that's who I am!"

Penny was still in his arms and didn't look up at him as she replied; instead she watched the lights illuminating reassuringly in their usual way as she ran her fingertips down the micro chips set in his chest.

"And you're my husband and Daddy to your kids; you're Taylor Braydon's best friend and if you think about it a lot of other people love you too and not just because you're Inspector Gadget. They love you for who you are..._and_ _you can't be on duty forever_."

"But I _need_ to work, I need to feel I'm still doing my job, Penny."

She looked up and their eyes met and she saw such heartache in his eyes that she knew for sure if she tried to hold him back it would only make him unhappy in the long run – and that was something she didn't want to risk because the future was so uncertain.

"I guess it couldn't hurt to be out there in the Gadget Mobile." She replied, "And maybe Taylor could stay with you while you're working - he's on police duties because of the thing in the river and that's not resolved yet, so between him and Gadget Mobile, I guess you'll be okay."

Even though her eyes were clouded with sadness, she smiled.

"And of course I'll keep an eye you too. So maybe you could get back out there for a little while, see what Chief Quimby has to say about it..."

Gadget frowned.

"I'm not sure I should say too much to Quimby, he might not want me to come back to work – I know when he found out about my back trouble he was _very_ sure he didn't want me going to work with it."

And then Gadget got up and as he let go of Penny and got out of bed, she felt an ache in her heart as sure as she would have hurt if he had been ripped away from her side, but he was heading for the bathroom to freshen up now and his mind was made up; the toxins had worn off and while he felt okay, he wanted life to go on as usual. And while she knew life could never be the same again, she didn't want to point that out because he needed this time to live a normal life - even though they both knew it wouldn't be normal for much longer...

* * *

Penny got up and got dressed and by the time she had been downstairs to make coffee and had brought one up for Gadget, he was dressed once more and this time, he was ready to leave.

He smoothed down his trench coat and put on his hat just as she set the coffee down on the dresser.

"You don't have to rush out there, Gadget. "

He glanced out the window and noticed the Gadget Mobile was parked outside.

"The cars still here." He remarked, "Taylor must have walked home..."

And then the phone rang.

Penny answered it and then held it out to Gadget.

"It's for you," She told him, "It's Chief Quimby."

And Gadget took the phone and spoke up sounding as if nothing was wrong. Penny could tell it was all an act because he wanted to keep his job but all the same, she found herself hoping the Chief would allow him to continue working even in a limited capacity – because she could see it now; she knew how much this meant to him...

"Chief," Gadget said brightly, "I want you to know I'm back to work right now, I'm feeling fine and I'm ready to go –"

"No, Gadget." Quimby said sadly, "I'm sorry, but I can't let you do that. _Lula called me, she told me everything_."

Gadget gripped the phone tighter.

"She _told _you? What right has she got to do that?"

"She has every right because it's her _duty_, Gadget! Now I want you to take things easy, I want you to rest and spend time with your family. And I know the treatment didn't work out, but the good news is, Mayor Wilson has just agreed to pump in a large amount of money into a research project to try and find a cure for your problem. They've set aside a whole lab on the upper floor of the Cybernetics Center and the money's there, all they have to do is get working on it. So there _is_ still hope."

Gadget felt bitterly disappointed by the Chief's orders, but at the same time, hearing about the effort that was being made on his behalf choked him up.

"Thank you Sir." He said quietly, "It's good to know so much money is going on research to try and help me...but I _really_ need to be at work. Can't I just drive around town in the Gadget Mobile, at least let me do that! If I need back up, I've got Taylor, he can come to work with me..."

The Chief gave a sigh.

"All right Gadget. I'll see you tomorrow morning and we'll discuss this further in my office. And..."

The Chief paused, trying to find the right words.

"_Just take things easy. We're all thinking of you, Inspector."_

And the Chief hung up.

Penny's gaze was fixed on her husband.

"What did he say?"

"Quimby said he wants to see me in his office tomorrow." And his tone became more optimistic.

"He didn't say I _couldn't_ go to work."

And he leaned closer, kissed Penny's cheek and gave her a brief smile.

"I'm going for a drive. Don't worry about me – the Gadget Mobile will keep a close eye on me all the time."

"But don't you want –"

Gadget was gone, closing the door behind him.

"Your coffee..." Penny said quietly, then she stood by the window, just behind the curtain where Gadget would not see her watching anxiously, and as she stood there she looked down as her heart ached for her husband, who got into the Gadget Mobile and drove away from the house.

* * *

As he hit the open road on the long straight drive that took him past open fields and the familiar sign that said _Welcome to Riverton_, Inspector Gadget felt a little more relaxed.

He had never known until now that the familiar could be so comforting; now it felt like just another day and gave him the sense of normality he'd missed so badly.

"Where are we going, G Man?" The car demanded, "Because I know for a fact you shouldn't even be out of bed! You're sick, you need to rest!"

Gadget gave a sigh...for a few precious moments he had felt a sense of getting his life back on track, even if it was only temporary, but now the car had just reminded him of the stark reality that he faced.

"I don't need to discuss that right now, Gadget Mobile."

"_Yes you do!"_ The car said sharply, "I saw how sick you were when Taylor carried you out of the Cybernetic Center! I've heard all about it, he told me everything! You should be at home in bed, not acting like there's nothing wrong!"

Gadget gripped the wheel a little harder as he turned off the main road that led into town and took the scenic route that would lead over the river and into Cyborg City. In the distance the sun was catching on the gleaming spires and as the light shone he thought about Eddie Lazarus:

_Now was the time to see him, because he needed answers..._

"And on the subject of Taylor –"

"Not now!" Gadget snapped, "I don't want to hear another word! I need to speak to Lazarus. You can't imagine what I'm going through at this time, so please, just shut_ up!_"

"But Gadget –"The car began, "I need to tell you –"

Gadget looked down at the face on the screen.

"_I said, not now!" _He ordered, _"Not another word!"_

And the car's computerized face on the screen shook its head, rolled its eyes and fell silent, granting Gadget the peace he had demanded, driving on in silence for the rest of the journey.

* * *

Taylor Braydon shifted nervously in his seat as he sat in the office of Coral Devonshire and as she processed his details he grabbed a brochure and began to flick through the pages.

Then he drew in a tight breath and silently cursed himself for his robofetish, but it didn't change a thing – he _still_ couldn't stop the feelings of arousal that made him cross his legs as his face grew hotter and he stared at page entitled _'cybernetic groin modifications'._

"So you've had cybernetic treatment before?" Coral asked him.

Taylor barely heard her.

He looked at the metal work that was fused to the guy in the picture, it was a pipe that ran down from his hip and it made him think of Gadget's pipe work...

"_Um...yeah..."_

Taylor knew he was blushing now.

She spoke again but he was still looking at the picture, wondering what it would be like to have an artificial nerve connection like Gadget's to control his sexual responses...more than that, he was wondering what it would be like to get something like that fitted... This was what he considered late night reading material! In the days before he met Evie, it _had_ been!

"Mr Braydon?"

Taylor looked up sharply as he dropped the brochure.

"What?"

He felt hot now; he knew his blush was deepening.

Coral gave a sigh, wondering how this man had _ever_ become a police Deputy when he was so easily distracted...

"You have standard cybernetic mods to your upper body?"

He nodded.

"And living metal?"

He nodded again. She turned back to the screen.

Then she frowned as she read the information.

"I take it you're paying with cash?"

And Taylor laughed.

"Fortunately I have enough money on me to cover this, I know a memory booster doesn't cost a lot. But if you'd prefer a cheque –"

She held up her hand as she looked at him.

"No thank you, Mr Braydon – we have a policy here about cheques that bounce!"

Taylor blinked.

He stared at her as if she had just used a phrase that was totally alien.

"I'm a rich guy, my cheques don't bounce!"

She looked back at the screen and then turned suspiciously to Taylor; she wanted to use him for her purpose but she was somewhat annoyed to discover there seemed to be a small outstanding debt in his name against the company...

"Did you come here last year to have living metal injected into a small steel suspensory ligament?"

Taylor looked at her blankly.

"What?"

"Did you, or not?"

He just carried on looking at her.

"_What?"_ He said again.

She gave another sigh.

"It's a simple question – have you been here before, Mr Braydon? Did you write a cheque and then not have adequate funds to honour it?"

"What?" He repeated, "I don't get it...I'm here to get a memory booster. What's with the ligament thing? _What _ligament?"

Coral was rapidly running out of patience now.

"Okay, just say _yes_, or _no_."

"Yeah..."

"Yes you did?"

He frowned.

"No, you just said _say_ it so I said yeah..."

She glared at him. _At first, she had thought he was avoiding the question because he'd been caught out over the debt, but then as this painfully frustrating conversation had gone on and on, she had come to the conclusion that he was, quite simply, naturally dumb..._

She switched to a second screen and authorised activation of the chip. Then as Taylor sat there on the other side of the desk looking around the room – why he found blank walls so fascinating was beyond her – she typed in the date the time and the hidden command and then minimised the screen, leaving the account details up instead.

"Just take my credit card." Taylor said, drawing it out from his wallet.

Then he paid for the procedure and she handed the card back to him.

"It seems to have gone through _this_ time." She remarked.

Taylor's eyes widened.

"But I didn't write a cheque that bounced; I've _neve_r been here before!"

"Finally," She said sarcastically, "You've said something that makes sense..."

And then the phone rang.

Taylor watched as she picked up the call, then she spoke quickly, saying she would be there right away.

She got up from her desk and briefly glanced at him.

As she looked at him Coral wondered if she could trust him alone in her office...but then she saw the vacant look in his eyes and guessed that he wouldn't do any harm sitting here alone – and she had just had a call to say that a patient had just turned up complaining about an infection from a poorly inserted chip and she wanted to calm the situation down before things got out of hand...Taylor would be just fine sitting here, looking at the walls and the ceiling, which seemed to interest him even though they were blank...

"Excuse me for a moment, Mr Braydon - I won't be five minutes..."

And then Coral left the room.

* * *

Now alone in the office, Taylor's gaze shifted to the desk.

He wondered if he might find some evidence in there, or maybe even on her computer screen...

Then he leaned over and picked up the brochure again, and briefly glanced through it.

His gaze fell on a page that said 'female enhancements' and as he looked at the seams of living metal between the breasts of a woman whose face was obscured in the photo, he gave a sigh of frustration...

"_What would Gadget do?"_ He said under his breath as he looked again towards the empty desk.

Then he looked at the brochure.

And then he looked back at the desk.

_This was a tough choice:_

_Look at porn, or investigate the office..._

He was aware that he had limited time.

Taylor looked down at the brochure again, remembering it was _just_ a brochure about cybernetic enhancements, even though to him, as a person with a robofetish, it seemed dirty and exciting...

Then he folded the brochure and put it in the inside pocket of his jacket, before getting up from his seat and deciding _hands down pants time_ could wait, even though he had the chance to look at those pictures here, in a cybernetics center - and he could even possibly look through it pretending to read it while he had the chip fitted... no one would _ever_ know the kick he was getting out of it!

But he felt sure Gadget would have kept his mind on the job – not only because Gadget didn't share his fetish, but because Inspector Gadget would have got on and done his job.

_He probably would have searched this room from top to bottom by now... _

Taylor thought about what she had said...she would be gone for five minutes?

He went over to the desk and glanced nervously at the door: it was still shut.

Taylor tugged at the drawer below the desk and found it open.

He stuck his hand inside and turned papers over – it was full of nothing but company paperwork, so he closed it once more.

Glancing at the picture frames on the desk he saw qualifications on display; Coral was, apparently, a highly qualified cybernetic surgeon...

She had a black dress hanging up on the side of a locked cabinet by the window, it was in a cover but partly unzipped and by the sequins on it he guessed she was planning a night out after work. And the cabinet was locked with a keypad next to it – he knew he wouldn't have time to crack the code, and trying to break in with his credit card would take too long; that lock would be much bigger and heavier than the little locks on the DVD cases that he knew how to break into...

And then he saw a shiny black purse hanging by its shoulder strap on the back of her chair.

He opened it up and put his hand inside, nervously glancing back to the door to check it was still closed.

And then his hand brushed against something cold and hard and...His eyes grew wider as he looked down - _she had a gun in her purse!_

But unfortunately, she also had something _else _in there and as he grabbed hold of it and lifted it out, his eyes grew wider:

_She had spare panties in her bag? Black, lacy panties?_

Taylor took in a deep breath.

This was a tough decision yet again:

_Search her purse, or think about the panties of a female cybernetic surgeon while he looked at a brochure about enhancements..._

_Decisions, decisions._

"You're on duty!" He said aloud, pushing the panties back into her purse.

He closed the purse and checked the coast was clear before turning to the computer.

Taylor was still thinking about his fetish as he glanced at the screen, barely noticing anything about the account details that were displayed.

He was wondering:

_Would Gadget have kept the panties, knowing they belonged to a woman who put man metal into guys?_

_Had Gadget ever searched the scene of a crime and kept something cybernetically related that turned him on?_

_Probably not, because Gadget did not have a robofetish, even though he was the most enhanced guy he had ever known..._

Taylor opened up the second screen and blinked, willing himself to focus on work instead of his fetish.

Then he stared at the screen.

He reached for the cell phone in his pocket but his hand froze mid way as he read the details on the screen:

_Deputy Braydon, memory boost implant, hidden codes..._

Others had hidden codes too – the box where the codes were displayed showed nothing but sequences, but Taylor recognised it.

He smiled as he suddenly felt rather smart, and knew he had his fetish to thank for it:

_Back in the days when he used to buy bootleg self programmable, external, disposable chips and use them to heighten arousal, he had learned how to programme, he had learned how to character encode based on the English alphabet – and these commands were in the same language. It was lucky for him he could read ASCII..._

But just as fast as he congratulated himself, his smile faded:

There were names on this list, he knew none of them, but their occupations were also listed - a secretary who worked for Mayor Wilson, several cops who worked closely with higher ranking officers, bank staff, security staff at various big companies around town – they all had the same commands and details hidden in code.

The date was a week from today and the time was set for noon and the command was _KILL_, followed by the names of the intended victims.

Taylor's jaw dropped.

He looked down the list at the details beside his own name and he gasped.

"_Kill Chief Quimby?"_ He exclaimed.

Then his fingers flew to the keyboard as he accessed the heading at the top of all the commands, desperately trying to think of an alternative word...

"Oh no!" He said aloud, "Me and my stupid fetish – I can only think of _dirty_ ones!"

And then as he searched for an answer, he changed the word. It was a subtle change and at a glance, she wouldn't see it unless she looked for it...

Then Taylor entered the command and was asked, _Change all?_

"Yes!" Taylor said aloud, hitting _Enter_.

Then he breathed a sigh of relief as the list of commands altered.

But the note at the bottom of the screen stated the programme had been altered, and listed the time.

Taylor quickly altered the clock to fall back ten minutes, matching the time he had walked into Coral's office.

She would never know unless she checked it.

He would have enough time to get out of here and get back to the Police Department and warn Quimby about Coral's plans...

As long as he caught a _bus _fast enough – he had told the Gadget Mobile to go home...

"What did I do that for?" He complained, wishing he had thought ahead to this possibility. Then he decided; he would get out of here and call Quimby right away, then everything would be taken care of.

He closed the screen down, but the other window was still up, the one that showed his financial details listing his account with the company.

Taylor's thoughts had shifted far from his fetish now. His mind was clear and as sharp as it could be for a guy who wasn't too sharp at the best of times.

But as he looked back at the screen that had his new account details and credit card number, he happened to glance above it.

"I didn't write that cheque!" He said indignantly, "Must be a glitch in the system..."

_And then he blinked._

_And then he stared._

Then the color drained from Taylor's face as he was hit by a shock far greater than anything he had seen on the other screen about Coral's plans to cause chaos and death in Riverton:

There it was, spelled out on the screen, a cheque that had bounced, a cheque that was exchanged in payment for an injection of living metal into an eye muscle, a cybernetic rebuilt orbital replacement...

_It couldn't be a coincidence._

_The man who had needed the quick fix for his vision problem had a cyborg eye. _

_He had a partly reconstructed face, too._

All the pieces seemed to fit.

Taylor felt ice cold, as if winter had suddenly returned and brought with it that cold morning when his brother's watch and jacket had been found on the beach:

_They had found his watch and his jacket, but they had never found his body._

_His little brother's middle name had been Taylor._

_And there it was on the screen: the owner of the bounced cheque was Raymond Taylor Braydon..._

Taylor got up from the seat and walked around the desk as he felt his head spinning. Rage and grief welled up inside him as he turned to the locked filing cabinet and smashed his fist into it.

And forgetting his cyborg strength, his fist slammed into the middle of the doors so hard they caved in, and then swung open.

Taylor fell to his knees as he gave a sob – but then he saw he had access to hundreds of folders, client records...he grabbed the drawer listed _Br – Bu_ and desperately began to search to see if his brother's records had been kept here, to see if there was an address...

_He didn't hear Coral come back into the room._

_He didn't know she silently went over to her desk and hit the button to call security._

She briefly checked the screen and noted that nothing seemed out of place - _at a glance_...

Taylor was still on the floor with his back to her, rifling through company files...

Her hand slid into her purse and she drew out her gun.

Taylor was still searching through the paperwork, forgetting about the case as he thought only of his brother.

_And suddenly something hard and cold was pressing against his temple._

He caught his breath as he looked up to see Coral standing over him.

As he looked at her he thought about Evie and the Taylor Tots and wished he hadn't wanted to play the hero again, because when ever he tried to do that, it always ended badly, but now it was too late to change anything, because he had a gun to his head now...

"You're in a _lot _of trouble, Deputy Braydon." Coral Devonshire informed him, _"I don't know what you're really doing here, but I'll get the truth out of you!"_

* * *

Alicia was sat at an antique writing desk in the wide, bright living room where the warm breeze shifted at the nets and sunlight filtered in.

But as she stopped typing on the keyboard she gave a sigh.

"Lazarus," She said wearily, "Can't we slow down with this – I can't make sense of some of it."

And Eddie Lazarus turned thoughtfully from the window and smiled at her.

"You don't need to make _sense_ of it; this is a Testament for the New Age. Many of the things foretold are yet to happen."

Alicia ran her fingers through her dark hair and leaned back, stretching after sitting over the keyboard for too long.

"Why is it talking about things that haven't happened yet?"

"It is being written for future generations." He explained.

Then he looked into her eyes and lowered his voice.

"And by the way, I'm _not _impressed at all with what you said about Lula Smith. You forget I hear and see all things; you judged her too harshly, Alicia. You must try and be more forgiving and see others in a softer light. Look for the good instead of the bad. That's a big flaw in your nature; you're too impulsive when it comes to making judgements on others."

"Does that make me a bad person?" Alicia wondered, as she thought about her difficult past.

Lazarus looked back at her kindly.

"_No,"_ He told her, _"It just makes you human."_

His words reassured her, but all the same, she still couldn't make sense of the text she had been instructed write.

"Lazarus, what does this mean: _And the dead arose from the darkness, and brother to brother and father to son rejoiced at the reunion as the Spirit of Invention became as flesh, commanded by Lazarus, forming the third pillar, making the Steel Trinity complete..._ I don't understand it?"

Lazarus saw a flicker of fear in her eyes.

"It sounds scary." She added, "About dead people and...What _is_ the Steel Trinity?"

Lazarus knew Alicia could not understand everything yet, because all he foretold had yet to come to pass.

"The Steel Trinity are the three pillars that hold up faith in the New Age." He replied, "The Creator- "

"You, Lazarus." She stated, understanding little else.

"And the Silver Sentinel, the protector of the Age of Flesh and Steel, and thirdly, The Spirit of Invention, a power that moves within us all to embrace the new technology that will take mankind to a higher level."

And Alicia still looked as confused as she felt.

"I still don't understand."

"You _will_ understand in time." He promised her, "And you have nothing to fear. I think perhaps when I said the dead arose you were thinking about horror movies where Zombies rise from the earth?"

And as she saw humor in his eyes she smiled too and felt a little foolish.

"You don't mean it like that..."

Lazarus chuckled.

"No!"

And then he looked thoughtful once more as he turned his thoughts to a future that he could only see as an inner vision; it was a vision of things that were yet to come to pass...

"Wonderful times are about to be upon us, Alicia. It is a time of great change and unity, times that will make saints and prophets of men."

Alicia's eyes widened as her voice dropped to a whisper.

"What's going to happen?"

Then the sound of a knock at the door resounded down the long hallway.

"Right now," Lazarus said, tapping the notes beside her keyboard, "You have text to finish for me. And I _must_ meet privately with Inspector Gadget."

"_He's here?"_

Lazarus saw the look of urgency and concern in her eyes and understood completely.

"Just continue working, Alicia. You need have no concerns about Gadget. His destiny is in _my _hands."

And still feeling unsure what Lazarus meant, she consoled herself with the fact that Lazarus would only help and protect him, and she turned back to the screen and began copying out more text that she didn't understand.

* * *

As Lazarus opened the front door and saw Inspector Gadget standing there, he felt nothing but compassion for him. Gadget looked pale and tired and he could tell by the look in his eyes that he was afraid and had also been in great pain.

But as Gadget looked back at Lazarus all those things didn't matter, because he wanted answers and he wanted them right now.

"I need to talk to you." He said quietly

Lazarus nodded and stepped back, and Gadget entered into his house.

Gadget was led through to a small but comfortable reception room, Lazarus did not not want to distract Alicia from her task by taking him into the main living room where she was working.

Gadget sat down heavily on a soft armchair and gave a weary sigh.

As Lazarus joined him and sat down on the sofa close by, Gadget looked at him with tired eyes that had dark circles forming beneath them.

"You gave me a daughter." He stated, "A child with my wife, a child I never thought I'd have..."

And tears burned at his eyes.

"_And now I have to die and leave her behind?_ I have to leave Penny and the rest of my family? Isn't it enough that I suffered to be the first cyborg? You want me to die for it now, because my design was so flawed that it can't be fixed?"

Lazarus shook his head.

"Lula Smith has tried to help you, but her knowledge is limited to hi tech cybernetics and she can not cure you."

And Lazarus reached over and took hold of Gadget's hands.

"You must accept that all things come to an end." He said gently, "The day will come when you are no longer Inspector Gadget of Riverton police."

And Gadget drew in a shaky breath as he stifled a sob.

"But I _like_ my life - I had nothing when I was John Brown...I want to be Inspector Gadget forever."

"You're wrong," Lazarus told him, "You achieved a great deal as John Brown. But you can't be Inspector Gadget forever, that's coming to an end. _But it's not the end of everything_."

Gadget held his hands tighter as he looked into the eyes of Eddie Lazarus, God Himself in human form.

"I know that." He said tearfully, and then he shook his head.

"But I achieved nothing before I became a cyborg."

And Lazarus smiled.

"You did. "He promised him, "You're just not aware of it yet. You haven't thought about your whole life and all the significant events that happened along the way. Some day that will make sense to you."

As Lazarus let go of his hands, Gadget looked tearfully into his eyes.

"I know you resurrected Taylor Braydon after he was tortured by the ACR! Can't you lay your hands on me and save my life too?"

Lazarus remained silent about all he knew regarding the role of great significance Gadget would play in these times of great change.

"_You were the first cyborg."_ He stated_,"And you shall continue to be the first. You will live to see the Steel Trinity rise- Creator, Protector and Spirit of Invention..."_

"I don't understand what that means. "

"You will." Lazarus promised him.

Then Gadget winced as he put his hand to the back of his neck as a burning pain shot through it.

"_I don't feel so good..."_

Lazarus looked at him with understanding in his eyes.

"Stay here a while and rest, just until the pain subsides."

Gadget felt unsteady as he stood up, but Lazarus led him over to the couch and helped him to lay back on it.

"Sleep, John Brown." He said softly, "For now, rest will be enough. You'll feel stronger when you wake."

The pain was still burning at the back of Gadget's neck as he closed his eyes.

"Thanks...I won't stay too long..." He murmured.

As he slipped into a deep and much needed sleep, Eddie Lazarus watched him resting, then he smiled as he thought about a future that Gadget was yet to understand- _it would be the end of Inspector Gadget, but not the end of everything..._

* * *

Taylor Braydon woke up in a dimly lit room.

He hurt all over because he'd put up a fight with the security staff but then he'd been zapped with an electronic gun that had temporarily thrown his circuits offline, making him fall to the floor.

Now he was awake and firmly strapped to a reclined chair in...What _was _this place?

He blinked again and realized he was in a lab.

Then he felt an ache in his arm and as Coral stepped closer to him she looked at him coldly.

"I've taken you to one of our labs on a lower level. You've been injected with a truth drug - so you _will _answer my questions before I have you killed."

Taylor drew in a frightened breath.

He felt drugged but at the same time he also felt that he _had_ to answer her questions even though he wanted to scream at her not to kill him.

_The drug was taking over his mind and he couldn't fight it..._

"What were you doing in my office?" She demanded, "I mean what you were doing when I left the room?"

Taylor looked up at her.

He didn't want to say it, but the truth was coming out because this stuff was making it impossible to lie...

_"Touching your panties."_

She stared at him.

"_What?"_

Taylor smiled at the memory.

"Your panties, the ones in your purse..._I wanted to steal them and use them with the dirty brochure._ I've got a _BIG_ robofetish..."

And she rolled her eyes as she wondered what other pointless information this idiot would come out with before she got to the truth.

"Were you sent here to spy on my company?"

Taylor frowned as he thought about it.

"No...I came here on my own..."

"What was going through your mind when you claimed to need a memory enhancing chip?"

He felt drowsy but compelled to answer her question, even though his face was burning up now.

"I was looking at the dirty pictures in the brochure...it's real _hands down pants_ material..."

Coral glared at him.

"I'm a qualified cybernetic surgeon. I could strip you naked and remove your cyborg parts if I wanted to!" She said sharply.

And Taylor gave a groan as he tried to shift on the table.

"Oh no, _don't_ talk like that...I can't... can't control it... I feel so good and...And you're being _so_ dirty..."

And he smiled as he looked at her with glazed eyes.

"This is great...This is like a fantasy...you're a bad scientist and you want to get your hands on my man metal...just do it quick...I can't hold on much longer... _Can't control myself_..."

"Hold on for what?" She wondered.

Then as he shifted again rage burned in her eyes..._this robofetish obsessed guy wasn't in the slightest bit intimidated at all by her threats – and she could see it through his clothing now – he was aroused?_

She gave a sigh of angry frustration and turned her back.

"I'll give the drug more time to work." She stated as she left the room and locked the door behind her.

Left alone in the lab, Taylor struggled through drugged thoughts to make sense of his situation – this _wasn't_ a hot dream, this was something _else._..

But his thoughts were confused as he lay there wondering if he had _really _heard her say that she was going to kill him... then he called out to Gadget, but got no reply and fear began to take over as he remembered that Gadget didn't even know where he was:

_He was totally alone. _

_Alone and captured and in trouble._

As he tried to hold onto a moment of lucid thought, Taylor thought about the mess he was in and then he began to cry:

_He knew he never should have played the hero like this, because it had ended badly yet again, so badly that he was probably going to die because of it..._


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"_Wake up, Gadget."_

As he heard her voice, he thought for a moment that he was back in the days when they had first got to know each other, when they had gone from being enemies to friends and then became lovers.

He moved his head slightly and felt relieved there was no pain.

Then he wondered; _why_ was he so afraid of pain?

And then Inspector Gadget remembered his spinal cable was disintegrating, every minute break in the cable was agony, and he remembered that he was dying.

Then the sorrow weighed heavy in his heart but at least he knew what year it was and he knew Alicia was no longer Alicia MacKenzie – _now, her title was Mrs Lazarus..._

He opened his eyes and saw Alicia standing beside the couch.

"I'm about to go and fetch Grace from school. Lazarus told me to check on you to ask you if you needed anything before I leave."

Gadget sat up, running the back of his neck that now only ached because he had slept on the couch.

"No...I'm just fine Alicia. I should get going."

"Are you sure?" She was looking worried.

Gadget managed a smile.

"I'll be just fine. Go and take care of Grace, don't worry about me."

And she looked into his eyes.

"But I do." She said quietly, "We _all_ do."

Gadget gave a sigh.

"I can cope." He promised her, and then got up stiffly from the couch.

"I'll tell Grace you said Hi." Alicia added.

"And tell her I'm feeling just fine, tell her I'm not sick right now, I'm doing okay."

Alicia returned his smile and nodded.

"Of course I will."

And she stepped forward, kissing his cheek briefly and then stepping back once more.

Even though time had passed and he knew Alicia had changed a lot since she had become the wife of Lazarus, old memories still played on his mind and because of that, every time she kissed him as just a friend and immediately let go again, it was always a pleasant surprise.

"Take care of yourself." She said to him, and then she left the room.

Gadget heard the front door close and then he walked over to the mirror, ran his hand over his hair and put on his hat. He brushed some creases out of his trench coat and turned to leave.

"_Don't be afraid."_

He had walked out of the room and into the hallway and stopped on hearing the voice of Lazarus, who had joined him.

"I'm trying." He admitted, "But it's not easy."

As Lazarus took hold of his hand and briefly patted it and then let go, he smiled.

"With a little courage," He told him,"You can face one last challenge. Remember I have always walked beside you and I always shall. You are not alone and you will not face anything you can't handle. You're stronger than you think, John Brown."

And Gadget nodded, and then as Lazarus opened the door for him, he turned back a final time.

"Thank you." He said quietly.

_He wanted to say so much more, to thank him for allowing him to know so many wonders of the future, for making him the first cyborg, for giving him this difficult yet beautiful path of life upon which he had walked._

_But he said no more because there was no need; Lazarus already knew these things..._

"We shall meet again." Lazarus promised him.

Gadget smiled as sorrow reflected in his eyes.

"I know." He replied, "I have every faith in you."

And then Lazarus lingered in the doorway for a moment as Gadget walked back to his car and then he closed the door, leaving the man who used to be John Brown to get on and fulfil the last piece of his destiny...

* * *

"So what was the big deal, G Man?" The car demanded as the drove along, "What could be so important while you're so sick that you had to come all the way over to Cyborg City and visit Mr Lazarus?"

Gadget gave a sigh.

He had intended to take a quiet, peaceful drive around town without the Gadget Mobile bombarding him with questions, criticising him for working instead of resting _and _taking some time out to whine about Taylor Braydon, too...

"I told you I just want some peace and quiet."

"If you're feeling lousy, the best place to be is at home with Penny! I'm not saying I know best - maybe I do, but that's _not_ relevant! I'm just saying I _wouldn'_t say that, Gadget - _I'm just pointing out -_"

Gadget looked sharply at the computerised face on the screen.

"I just want you to shut up. I just want to go for a drive, okay?"

"But Gadget-"

"NO, _not_ another word!"

And Gadget felt another creeping pain at the back of his neck and he reached up and rubbed at it.

"Are you okay?"

Now the car sounded worried.

Gadget had wondered the same thing too, but this time the pain was fleeting, and now it was thankfully gone.

"Yes thank you, Gadget Mobile I'm fine. Now just do your job and be a car and shut up and drive for me!"

"I'd be happy to take over." The car announced, _"Because we should really check on Taylor."_

"Taylor?"

Gadget had leaned back against the seat and let the car take over steering, but now he was sitting bolt upright as he grabbed the wheel.

"I've tried to tell you for hours!" The car exclaimed, "Taylor wanted to help you out; he went over to Neurotech to investigate the case and knowing Taylor there's a chance he may have messed up."

Gadget stared down at the face on the screen.

"Why didn't you go with him?"

"I _did_, G Man! I took him right up to the place and then he told me to go home to _you_ in case you needed me."

Gadget shook his head.

"Oh no, I don't believe this! You should have told me earlier!"

"I tried, you wouldn't listen, _you _told me to _shut up!_"

Gadget took his cell phone from his pocket and hit speed dial.

All he reached was Taylor's voicemail, so he told him to call when he got the message, then he cut off the call and dialled his home number.

"Hi." Evie said brightly as she answered the phone.

Gadget chose his words carefully, not wanting to cause alarm needlessly.

"Hi, Inspector Gadget here– is Taylor with you, Evie?"

"No," she replied, "I thought he might still be with you. How are you feeling?"

Gadget closed his eyes for a moment.

_How was he feeling?_ Like his guts were twisting up because he was afraid as he wondered what kind of trouble Taylor had just walked into, _that_ was how he was feeling now...

"I'm okay. I'm coping. If Taylor calls, tell him to get in touch with me, okay?"

"Sure, I'll do that." Evie replied, and Gadget hung up.

He gripped the wheel and fixed his gaze on the open road ahead.

Gadget didn't feel like taking on a dangerous case, but he was faced with the possibility that Taylor could be in need of help – it was the way things seemed to be - until his phone rang and Taylor told him he was fine, he had to assume the worst and get on and do his job regardless of how lousy he was feeling as the ache in his back crept up to his shoulders and began to work its way into his neck once more.

_"Take me over to Neurotech."_ Gadget said, _"Rocket speed!"_

* * *

Taylor Braydon had lost track of the time as he lay strapped to the chair in the lab.

He was still sobbing and doing it even harder now because Coral had questioned him again, and when she didn't like his answers, she had started hitting him too.

_"I don't know anything!"_ He protested tearfully, _"I'm telling you the truth!"_

And she stood over him and looked hard into his eyes.

"What do you know about me?" She demanded.

And Taylor, feeling compelled to literally answer her question honestly thanks to the drug, could only reply in the way that his not too smart mind processed the question:

"_I think you're mean and spiteful and I hate you!"_

"Wrong answer, Taylor." And she motioned to a guard who stood next to her, who punched him hard in the stomach.

Taylor caught his breath and as the pain throbbed through his body she gripped his face and squeezed, her fingers pressing against bruising that was already visible.

"What were you doing looking in my company records?" She said in a low voice.

As she let go of him, Taylor was still hurting and he gave a weak sob.

"I was looking for my brother... _where is Raymond?_"

And she looked back at him with curiosity burning in her eyes.

"You were looking through my paperwork to find your _brother?_ But you're Inspector Gadgets Deputy, can't the police find him?"

Taylor blinked and tears ran down his face.

"_I thought he was dead!"_

And Coral stepped back from Taylor and turned to the armed guards who stood beside her.

"Wait until it gets dark, then shoot him and throw him in the river." She instructed.

And then she left the room as Taylor sobbed hard, wondering if he would ever get out of this mess and get to home to Evie and the Taylor Tots again...

* * *

Hope had just settled down for a nap. Maxie was home from school and up in his room doing homework.

Penny had lost count of how many times she had looked at the clock, thought about how long Gadget had been gone and then stopped herself from calling him, purely because she didn't want to remind him how anxious she was feeling:

_He was coping._

Gadget was facing this with courage, the kind of courage he had faced all adversity with throughout his life.

He didn't know what a brave man he was and thinking about his courage made her want to weep.

She couldn't help but get grabbed by the scary thoughts of days to come, when he wouldn't be here any more and all she would have would be memories of her brave husband.

She knew for sure the one thing that would keep her going and give her strength to face life alone, apart from the kids, was that she felt so very honoured to have known him, loved him and been his wife.

She was sure she would never know another man like him because there could not be another Gadget; he was unique and for her, no man could ever take his place but that was just fine, because there could be no other; he was the other part of her soul and when he was gone she would live on for the children and for his memory.

And that would be _all_ she had left, but she would carry on, she would do it because he would want her to carry on, she would live each day out of love for Gadget...

And as she heard a knock at the door, she hurried to answer it hoping it would be her husband, he was too weak to risk running his Gadget Mode to use his go Gadget skeleton key and she was clinging to the possibility that she would find him there on the doorstep saying he had forgotten his house keys...

_But it wasn't her husband, it was Lula Smith..._

"How's Gadget?" She asked her.

Penny opened the door wider and Lula went inside.

As Penny closed the door, Lula set a brown paper bag down on the table beside the telephone.

"There's some medication in there for him, it's nothing volatile, just some pain relief, nothing too strong, nothing that will be too much for him in his current state I just thought he might find it useful. And we're working on an alternative treatment plan - I have some of my best people trying to fix this problem for him, Penny."

And Penny nodded.

"I know you're trying to help." She said, "And thanks for the meds. But he's not here, he went for a drive."

Lula stared at her.

"He should be resting!"

"He's out in the Gadget Mobile- he's perfectly fine. That car can _more _than take care of him, Gadget Mobile would bring him straight home if he started to feel unwell."

Lula frowned.

"I still think he should be resting." She told her, "His spinal cable is cracking! If he wants to give himself a chance to live with this thing for as long as possible he should be in bed, he should have total bed rest _all_ the time."

Sadness reflected in Penny's eyes as she smiled and shook her head.

"_But resting and being off duty is something that would make him miserable,"_ She stated, _"You know that as well as I do."_

Lula didn't want to cause Penny any more worry than she was already carrying on her shoulders as she thought about her sick husband who was out in the car while he should have been home resting, but she had to explain the facts to make her aware of the situation:

"I need to explain something – he's very sick and I can't promise that we will find away to fix him, I can't promise we have enough time for that - I can't even tell you how long or short his life will be. But if he starts to get severe pain that radiates up to his neck, please call me because that's the first sign."

Penny looked at her blankly.

"The first sign of what?"

Lula felt her heart ache as she explained the rest:

"_It's the first sign of the end."_ She said quietly, "At first, he will get severe pain as the cable starts to split. Then as his system tries to compensate he'll feel tired and probably seem okay after he's slept or rested for few hours. But the pain will come back and go up to the base of his skull and then he will begin to lose consciousness, drifting in and out ..."

She took in a deep breath and tried not to think about the fact that the one thing she had in common with Penny was that Gadget was father to both their daughters, "After this the next stage is coma and then death. If I can get some meds into him before the final stage I can keep him alive a little while longer. Penny, I can keep him with you – with _all_ of us, even if it's just for a short time. Most of all I want to control his pain; I don't want him to suffer."

Penny blinked back tears and nodded.

"Thank you for everything you're trying to do for him," She said quietly, "I know you're trying to help and so does Gadget."

"I should get back to work now." Lula told her, "I just wanted to stop by and leave him the meds. And please, if he gets worse, _call_ me."

Penny nodded.

Then Lula left the house, walking quickly towards her car, not looking back because she knew Penny was on the brink of tears and it would do her no good at all to know she was also breaking down; for Lula, crying would have to wait – at least until she got into the car and drove away from the house.

* * *

The Gadget Mobile screeched to a halt.

"Do you _really _think Taylor's in trouble?" He car said anxiously, "I knew I shouldn't have left him, I _never_ should have listened to him, I mean he's Taylor, he can't _help_ but get himself in trouble!"

And then the car's computerised face looked up at Gadget and its voice filled with concern.

"Are you okay, Gadget?"

He heard the car speak but as he drew in a breath the pain made his head swim and he reached up and gripped the back of his neck.

"I'm fine... must have been the way you pulled up sharply...that rocket speed got to me a bit..."

And as the throbbing faded away, Gadget got out of the car.

"Wait here." He instructed, then he walked towards the entrance, thinking of Taylor as he spoke a quiet command and hoped it would not be too much of a strain on his failing system:

"_Gadget Mode On..."_

And then he entered the building, trying to ignore the way the ache was growing once more at the back of his neck as he headed toward the large reception area.

The place was quite busy; the woman at the desk was dealing with a client whilst another queued behind.

Gadget stood back by a seating area and looked around:

_There was no sign of Taylor..._

And then a woman in a black business suit walked past him in a hurry; she was too busy to notice his presence as she headed in the direction of large double doors that led deeper into the building as she spoke on her cell phone:

It was Coral Devonshire, and she looked tense and distracted.

"_I don't care what it takes!"_ She snapped, _"I want answers from that idiot, try beating him harder!"_

And she gave one of the doors a push and walked through it.

Gadget looked left and right, seizing the moment as he saw his chance, and hurried after her, slipping away from the public area as he pushed open the door and entered the corridor beyond.

He lingered behind the door, leaning against the wall as he extended an ear and tuned into her voice loud and clear as she stopped walking further own the corridor and spoke again:

"_It doesn't matter what you do to him, Braydon's dead by nightfall anyway...I'm on my right now..."_

Gadget's ear snapped back into place and he took in a deep breath, wincing as he pressed his hand against the back of his neck as another pain shot through it:

_Using any of his built in modes would do him no good at all, least of all one as powerful as this, but he had no choice; they had Taylor..._

"Weapons Mode On." He murmured.

As the command confirmed at the back of his eye he straightened his arm, catching the silver pistol that slid silently into his grip.

And then ignoring discomfort as the pain flickered up his neck, Gadget walked silently toward Coral Devonshire.

As he approached her, Coral half-turned and on seeing him advancing closer, broke into a run.

Gadget ran after her gun in hand as he yelled _Armed Police_, but Coral turned a corner and as he followed, determined to apprehend the suspect and find his Deputy, sparks of light pricked at his vision as an ache turned to pain that seared up the back of his neck. The power that surged through his failing wiring seemed to sizzle hot and zap his inner workings, reminding him that he still had strength surging through his body, enough to stop the suspect, enough to save Taylor Braydon...

Coral dashed into a nearby elevator and hit the control panel, gasping in shock as a hand slipped through the closing doors – it was a hand attached to an extending metallic arm.

Gadget made a grab for her and as he closed his fist around her jacket the force of his cyborg strength slammed her up against the wall.

But the elevator was sliding shut, jamming on Gadget's arm as the elevator began to shift downwards.

As the doors began to crush against living metal, Gadget tried to retract his arm, succeeding but still trapped by his wrist as his body smacked against the doors.

He slid the gun out of sight and shoved his hand into the closing gap, using every ounce of his strength to prise open the doors. As the mechanism finally gave way and the doors opened, Gadget jumped down as the elevator descended, landing unsteadily as he fell against Coral Devonshire and knocked her to the floor.

She gave a cry of alarm as the elevator jolted and Inspector Gadget fell forward, slamming against her as he breathed heavily and with a flick of his wrist a silver automatic pistol was shoved up close to her face.

As he pulled himself to his knees and grabbed her by the lapel of her jacket and jerked her upwards his eyes blazed with fury.

"_You're under arrest!"_ He said darkly, _"And if you don't take me to Taylor Braydon right now, I'm pulling the trigger on you because I have absolutely nothing to lose, do you understand me?"_

And as she felt the weight of his body pressed against her, as he held her in a grip that seemed cast in iron, she nodded, saying nothing, seeing coldness in his eyes that suggested this man was more machine than human and would certainly not hesitate to kill her if he so wished; _his eyes seemed to reflect nothing but the fact that Inspector Gadget was filled with fury as cold as the living metal inside him that went down as deep as bones._..

"Go Gadget handcuffs." He stated.

As the cuffs sprang from a chain that extended from his wrist, Gadget got up and pulled her to her feet.

But as he made a move to cuff her, the pain hit again.

It hit so hard his vision blurred, then as the gun and cuffs retracted he staggered backwards, gripping the back of his neck as he cried out, stunned by the sudden flash of sharp pain that had knocked out his Weapons Mode.

Coral stared at him; the pain had been sudden, attacking him so sharply that Inspector Gadget was now unarmed and leaning against the wall of the elevator. His hand was gripping the back of his neck as his face turned pale and his pupils shot to pin pricks as he breathed in sharply. Sweat ran down his face and as he fell to his knees, he knew the fight was lost.

The elevator came to a halt with a bump that jarred his eyesight. As he blinked all he could see was the light that lit up the elevator, burning smoky as it seemed to fill the small space like a haze. And that haze was partly shadowed as Coral stepped closer.

Gadget blinked again and his vision began to clear, but his body still felt weak.

Coral leaned in and grabbed him by the throat.

"_You want to see your Deputy?"_ She said coldly, _"I'll take you to him – and then you can both die together, Inspector Gadget!"_

* * *

Lula Smith stood in her patient's room and watched as Gears put on his leather jacket and then tied his scarf about his neck.

"I would have preferred to give you one last scan to make sure you are ready to leave."

Gears turned to the mirror and ran his fingers through his hair.

"There's no need – I _know_ I'm okay! The metal is fully absorbed, I'm so sensitive I can open up my chest plate and put my hand inside and it feels as if my clockwork has its own nerve endings. That's a sure sign the treatment was a success; it all adds up to the fact that the living metal is properly fused. And now I _really_ have to go."

And he headed for the door.

"Gears, wait..."

He stopped and looked back at her.

"What now?" He asked impatiently, "I told you, I _need_ to go home! I got a call to say the panther misses me. And the cougar is pining too. I can't wait around here any longer."

"Then at least let me remind you to be careful for the next few days, don't –"

Gears finished the sentence for her, guessing what she was about to say:

"_Don't be clumsy. Avoid trauma of any kind because at this stage it could undermine the living metal and cause uneven finish – in other words, a metallic form of scarring."_

Lula felt mildly impressed at his level of knowledge.

"You certainly know about living metal." She remarked.

And then she thought about his reasons for rushing home.

"How did you come to own a panther and a cougar?"

Gears smiled.

"I rescued the panther from a bad home. And I picked up the cougar in The Blue Monkey."

Lula's eyes widened as she thought about that dive of a bar in down town Riverton that had, for many years, had a bad reputation.

"_You actually bought a big cat in there?"_

Gears checked his pocket watch.

"I'd explain if I had the time. But I _really _have to go now."

Lula grabbed the chance to ask him one more question.

"Could you just tell me something else before you leave...why did you become a follower of Lazarus?"

And Gears looked back at her with sincerity shining in his eyes.

"He's been speaking to me since I was sixteen years old. _He's guided my life ever since; at first I knew him only as the voice of the Almighty, but then he invited me to his house after the Battle of Riverton and then I knew for certain the Lord speaks with the voice of Eddie Lazarus. He has great plans for me and my kindred._"

Lula's eyes grew wider.

"Who are your kindred?"

Gears zipped up his leather jacket.

"I can't stay any longer; I really need to go home now. Thank you for the wonderful work you did for me, Lula."

And then he walked away, leaving Lula to conclude that Gears seemed like such a nice young man – _and it was such a pity that he was crazy underneath that, but at least he was harmless..._

* * *

The light was dim as Gadget opened his eyes.

After being over powered by Coral in the elevator, he had passed out, then opened his eyes as his body ached and the back of his neck felt on fire and he recalled being half carried and partly dragged along a corridor by two armed guards.

After that there was only a blank void of nothingness where no memories could serve to prompt him, because he had passed out again.

But now the pain inside the back of his neck was easing off as the fire was cooling; it was still present but it wasn't blinding his eyes with spots of light and making him sweat or lose control of his ability to stay awake - he was back now, he was aware that he had been tied up beside Taylor Braydon, who was on his side with his eyes closed, he had a cut above his eye and a bruise on his cheek but he was still breathing and as he watched his lips part and take in another breath, Gadget felt relieved; all was not lost, even if he was too weak to fight back, if he could wake Taylor perhaps he could escape, even if only Taylor escaped this situation, he would at least know that he was safe...

Gadget had little concern for himself as he checked the back of his vision and saw that his Gadget Mode was off line - he knew what ever had happened back in the elevator had been pretty serious; it had to be some kind of worsening of the cable malfunction, the pain was up in his neck now and he knew those wires didn't go much further. _Once they split all the way up to brain tissue, it would be the end._

But Taylor still had a chance, and he was going to make sure he took that chance to get away and keep his life...

He heard an engine start and then a passenger door slammed shut.

Then they were moving...

Gadget looked around and saw they were in the back of a van, but the front part was separate from the back so the driver and his companion could not see or hear anything that went on in here.

Gadget struggled to roll closer to Taylor and hoped this journey wouldn't be a short one; he had no idea how deeply unconscious Taylor was or how much time it would take to wake him up...

"_Taylor!"_

He bumped against him, giving him a nudge.

Taylor frowned and rolled onto his back.

"_Wha...what?"_ He murmured, _"What, Gadget?"_

Gadget struggled to lean against his shoulder as he ignored the pain at the back of his neck, watching anxiously as Taylor's eyelids fluttered and then he slowly dragged them open.

"Taylor, _wake up!_" Gadget said sharply.

Taylor gave a whine as he felt bruised all over and wondered why, then it all came back to him as he recovered his senses and he struggled briefly as his eyes widened.

"They got me, Gadget!" He said in a panicked voice, "They got me – she caught me, Coral Devonshire caught me and got a couple of her heavies to beat me up...they stuck me with some kind of truth drug but I don't think I told them much, it was the way she asked the questions..._I'm so glad you're here to get me out!_"

And he looked desperately into Gadgets eyes.

And Gadget said nothing as he met Taylor's gaze, then the van hit a bump, knocking the two men together as Gadget gave a sharp cry of pain as the jolt from the van seemed to shake every nerve in his spine.

It was then Taylor realized Gadget's hands were also tied – and he looked sick, too, he looked weak and pale.

Taylor gave a quiet sob.

"They're going to kill BOTH of us!"

"No!" Gadget promised him, "Listen to me –"

"_I'll never see Evie or my Taylor Tots again!"_ Taylor said tearfully.

"Taylor!" Gadget's voice became sharper now, "_Listen_ to me – I won't make it, I'm too sick. I'm in real trouble with my cable now, I can feel it. That's how I got captured, I just collapsed with it and I can't even access my Gadget Mode! But I _can_ distract them, I can do that and you can make a run for it –"

"_NO!"_

Gadget stared at him.

"Taylor, you don't have a choice. You have Evie and the kids to get home to and you're not sick like me, you can fight back, make a run for it –"

"_I'm not leaving you to die!"_

As Taylor gave another sob, Gadget leaned closer, pressing his face against his hair.

"You _have_ to. This is the last thing I'll ever ask you to do, so do it – _save yourself, Taylor_."

And Taylor sobbed again as Gadget stayed close, hoping his nearness would comfort him and give him the strength to do as he asked when the journey came to an end and Taylor had to make a choice between fight or die.

* * *

The late afternoon was slipping into dusk as Gears rode the bike across the bridge and then turned down a path that served as a walkway beside the upper side of the river that led around to Cyborg City.

He sped up the path and the turned off, heading down a dirt track where the river bent in and out of a curve and heavy trees surrounded the shallows.

And then he pulled up and brought the bike to a halt, seeing a van pull up at the water's edge.

Gears partly unzipped his jacket and checked the time on his pocket watch.

_"Oh no..."_ He said under his breath as he scanned the water for a sign of the rising silver beast.

Then he saw something that distracted him from thoughts of what was about to surface from the deep - he stayed back in the shade of the trees and watched as two armed men opened up the back of the van and dragged out Taylor Braydon and then Inspector Gadget.

Both men had their hands tied and Gadget was stumbling and making no attempt to escape; he looked too weak to try.

Gears stared as the scene unfolded, half expecting Gadget to live up to his name and use one of his built-in gadgets to get out of this mess, but instead he stumbled again as both men were led to the water's edge. He looked weak and sick...

Now Gears understood; _he was too weak to fight back..._

He revved up the bike and sped off down towards the river bank.

As he was shoved closer to the steep drop to the water, Taylor felt a gun pressed to his head.

_"Please don't kill us!"_ He sobbed, _"Let me go...Let Gadget go, he's really sick..."_

Gadget tried to straighten up, knowing his Gadget Mode was off line and the only hope he had was to turn around and struggle with the guy who had him in a firm grip, but the man who held him just gripped him harder.

"_We've got our orders."_ He stated, _"Coral wants you to disappear."_

"Like you made Professor Byron disappear?" Gadget said angrily, "Is this what you did to him?"

And the man exchanged a glance with his companion and pressed his loaded gun to Gadget's temple as his finger settled on the trigger.

As the bike burst out of the shadows, both men turned and Gadget slammed his head backwards, hitting the gunman in the face.

The pain made him yell out as he let go of Gadget and blood ran from his nose, but for Gadget the pain in his neck had just got worse and he staggered forward, a fraction from the drop into the water as pain made him see stars again.

Taylor was struggling with the second gunman now, kicking out as he tried to fend him off.

The bike sped past the struggle at the waters edge, then Gears brought the bike around again, heading straight for the two armed men.

"_Taylor!" _Gadget yelled.

And Taylor turned to see a rider on a clockwork bike heading straight for him.

He gave the gunman a shove as he jumped aside, the armed man slammed into his companion and Gears ran into the pair of them from behind, shoving them both over the edge and into the water.

They landed with a splash and after a brief struggle began to swim for the bank, one still holding onto his gun as they headed back to continue their pursuit – Gadget felt ready to sink to his knees; he was too weak to run from this place and he felt sure it would be Taylor who got out of this alive, hopefully Taylor but not _both_ of them...

Then the rider came to a halt and flipped up his visor.

"_Gears?"_ Gadget said in surprise.

Then a gunshot rang out, it was off target but it reminded him there was no time to lose.

"Take Taylor on the bike and get the hell out of here." Gadget said breathlessly, "Don't waste time on me..._get him out!_"

But just then car headlights lit up the gloom as the Gadget Mobile skidded to a halt close by.

"G Man, I followed you all the way!" The Gadget Mobile exclaimed, "Jump in, let's go!"

But then another shot rang out as Taylor ducked and the bullet punctured the door of the Gadget Mobile.

"_I'm hit!"_ Wailed the car_, "I need an urgent repair job! My paintwork is shot to pieces!"_

The gunmen were close to the bank now.

"Get in the car." Gadget said to Taylor, who ran over to the Gadget Mobile and jumped into the passenger seat.

Gadget was struggling as he grabbed the handle of the driver's door, he felt like the cable that ran the length of his spine was on fire and now his body felt like lead but those men were getting closer and had just aimed another shot, so he wrenched open the door and got in.

_And then there was a rush of water and the gunmen in the river began to yell in terror as a huge silver beast arose from the depths, knocking them further back across the river as it surfaced._

Taylor was staring at the silver sea serpent; it was made of gleaming metal and its eyes were like two blazing balls of fire that burned like hurricane lamps in a storm.

As its mouth yawned open, Gears turned back towards the Gadget Mobile.

_"THIS WAY!"_ He yelled as he revved up the bike.

Then the bike shot off the edge and into the mouth of the steel beast.

The inside of its jaws was lit up and as Gears drove inside, he turned the bike and screeched to a halt.

"_Come on!" _He yelled, beckoning urgently to Gadget.

On the riverside, Gadget glanced at the darkening waters where the two men were struggling to reach land and he noted one was still armed.

"Hang on to your seat!" He said to Taylor, and fired up the engine.

"Are you sure about this, G Man?" The car said.

"_No no, he's not sure!"_ Taylor wailed as he stared wide-eyed at the open-mouthed beast in the water, _"It's a monster!"_

"It's a sub!" Gadget corrected him, and he sped towards the edge of the bank.

"_I'm shutting my eyes!"_ The Gadget Mobile yelled as the car left the bank, then it sailed through the air in a sharp arc and landed heavily in the mouth on the great beast.

The mechanical jaws began to close and as they sealed, a wheel turned automatically, locking the seal, making the mouth of the beast water tight.

Taylor stared around in shock then gave a gasp as blocks shot out from the floor, locking the Gadget Mobile's wheels securely in place.

"What _is_ this place?" He said in a small, frightened voice.

Gadget was rubbing the back of his painful neck.

"It's a submarine." He said weakly.

Gears locked his bike in place against the wall and took off his crash helmet.

"You're right, Inspector." He replied, "It _is_ a sub. It's _my_ sub. She's called the _Sea Dragon_."

Then he lifted an old fashioned telephone receiver made of polished brass and addressed the Captain:

"I'm on board with Inspector Gadget and his Deputy."

And he looked back at Taylor and Gadget; the Inspector looked very weak - but he was still in one piece and so was Taylor Braydon.

Gears thought about the lucky escape they'd just had and breathed a sigh of relief.

"And thankfully, we're all safe... _You may dive Mr Magnet, dive immediately!_ "


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Gadget and Taylor were still sat in the car as the Sea Dragon slid into a gradual dive.

As Taylor felt the vessel shift he grabbed at Gadget's trench coat.

_"We're going under the river!"_

"Taylor, it's watertight in here. We won't drown."

As he spoke he prised off Taylor's grip and got out of the car.

Then Taylor got out too and the Gadget Mobile spoke up:

"_Hey! What about me?"_

Gadget looked back wearily at the car.

"This is as far as you go, you'll have to stay here and wait for us."

"_But I've been shot!"_

"You're a car!" Gadget exclaimed, "It's just a bullet hole in your door – you'll _live_, Gadget Mobile!"

"_But my beautiful body work has been wrecked! I've got a hole where I don't need one!"_ Whined the car.

"I'll get you fixed up later." Gadget promised, then he turned back to Gears, who was opening the locking mechanism by turning a wheel set in the middle of the inner door.

"Where are we going?" Taylor asked nervously.

"Into the main part of the sub." Gadget told him.

Gears opened the door and stepped through into a narrow corridor.

As Taylor followed Gadget he looked ahead and saw steel rungs that led up to an open hatch.

"We're going up there?" His voice echoed as he spoke and Gadget looked back at him.

"We're quite safe, Taylor."

And Taylor frowned as Gadget rubbed his aching neck again.

"Are you sure you can make it up that ladder?"

Gears was already climbing upwards.

Gadget laughed.

"Sure I can..." And then his smile faded as he remembered the weakness that came and went in waves, weakness that he couldn't control and his smile faded.

"I _think_ I can." He added, stepping onto the first rung and hoping he would make it.

As he climbed upwards he felt relieved that he was coping and he quickly reached the top, taking the hand of Gears, who helped him to climb up the next level. Taylor was last up the ladder.

When he reached the top and clambered out, he blinked in surprise as he looked around at the warmly lit sub:

The whole place was lit up with amber lighting, the controls blinked in a rainbow of color and the fixtures and fittings were all made of highly polished brass. The mechanics of the vessel were a mixture of modern technology and old-fashioned cogs and gears and spindles.

"Wow!" He exclaimed, "This boat is great!"

And then he ran to a port hole and pressed his face against it like an excited child, staring wide-eyed at the view of the river bed. Then something darted past the window and Taylor turned back excitedly to Gadget.

"I saw fish! There are _lots_ of them out there!"

Gadget smiled kindly at his best friend.

"That's because we're under the surface of the _river,_ Taylor."

And then as Gadget looked to the porthole, his eyes grew wider.

Taylor spoke up first.

"_Oh wow! A big underwater kingdom!" _Taylor exclaimed, jumping up and down and getting a few odd looks from the men who sat at controls as the vessel moved closer to home, _"It's so neat!" _

And then he looked sharply at Gears.

"Just tell me one thing."

Gears looked back at Gadget's Deputy and smiled, feeling sure both men would have a lot of questions about their destination.

"I'll tell you anything you'd like to know." Gears replied politely.

Taylor's eyes were sparkling now as he struggled to contain his excitement.

"_Have you got mermaids, and are they naked or do they wear clothes?"_

Gears looked at him in confusion.

"Mermaids?"

And Gadget smiled as he briefly glanced away, not wanting Taylor to know he was laughing at him.

"Yeah, mermaids!" Taylor said excitedly, "_Real_ ones! Have you got any? And are they naked or do they –"

"We don't have mermaids." Gears told him kindly, "Just people. And we _all_ wear clothes."

And Taylor turned back to the port hole, watching as they glided through darkening water, getting closer now to a shining metal structure that spread out across the river bed.

"I can see windows!" Taylor said, "And lights!"

Gadget glanced over at Taylor, whose nose was pressed up against the glass as he stared out in wonder, and then he looked back at Gears.

"The Amaryllis Research base? I've heard rumors, but I didn't think it was real."

"It was built in the 1960s." Gears told him, "It started off as a marine research center. Then they ran out of project funding and the place was shut down. It was briefly used again in the '80s. I applied for funding to use the place to further my research privately into clockwork technology with a view to furthering cybernetic research. I got the funding and I moved down here with a team of scientists two years ago. But only half of the place is used for cybernetics. The other half has become a community in its own right."

And Gadget looked around at the men who manned the sub; they all wore colorful clothing, some wore pocket watches and all seemed to belong in another time and place, as if there might be something about them that suggested old-fashioned gypsies or steam punk pirates. Every single one of these men had cybernetic modifications; one had a wheel that turned in his temple, another had small cogs set in living metal that ran up the side of his arm. _Each and every man on board the Sea Dragon was a cyborg, a clockwork cyborg just like Gears..._

They were drawing into a wide, brightly lit tunnel now.

Gadget stared at Gears as he began to work it out.

"_You_ got funding to run this place?"

Gears smiled.

Gadget was still staring at the man who obviously had tremendous knowledge and ability for one so young.

"_You're a scientist?"_

And Gears nodded.

"Mainstream science lost interest in the possibility of my branch of cybernetics ever blending with modern technology – but I think some day that opinion will change. There is no reason why arcane and eldritch methods can't be used along with the accepted methods currently available to mainstream science. Our community is thriving, we are called the Amaryllis Kindred and you are most welcome here."

Then the tunnel closed off and the water began to rush out.

"I'd very much like to show you around." Gears added.

Taylor was still watching through the glass as the water drained away.

"Wasn't there a song about this place?" He wondered.

"No. It's called _Amaryllis_." Gears replied.

Taylor was still looking out of the window.

Gears turned from Gadget and walked up to the main controls where a young man sat at the wheel, turning off the propellers.

He put his hand on his shoulder and smiled as he looked at him.

"Thank you for bringing us safely in, Mr Magnet."

And Magnet smiled, briefly glancing at him.

"You're most welcome, Mr Gears." He replied, blinking as his left eye clicked and the iris within turned from patterned brass to black and white check, then he looked briefly over his shoulder and saw Taylor Braydon standing there with his back to him as he looked out of the port hole.

Inspector Gadget briefly smiled at the short, stocky young guy with cropped blond hair who wore a shirt patterned with sketches of pirate ships.

Magnet smiled back and then looked away and Gears caught the look in his best friend's eyes.

"_I can't do this..."_ He murmured.

Gears patted his shoulder as he leaned closer and dropped his voice to a whisper:

"Have faith; it will be fine. Just wait for the right moment and explain - later on, after I've spoken to both of them."

And Magnet looked down at the controls as he nodded and blinked away tears as he thought about the truth Gadget and his Deputy had yet to learn about the community of Amaryllis, of how they had traded their old lives for a second chance...

"_I wasn't always Magnet."_ He said quietly, "And my _brother _is over there..."

Gears gave his shoulder a squeeze.

"And your brother will come to understand everything in time."

Magnet stood up and gave him a brief hug.

"It's good to have you back." He told him, then as Taylor Braydon turned from the port hole, Magnet turned back to the controls pretending to check them even though the engine was off – _because he didn't want his brother to see his face and recognize him..._

As Gadget and Taylor left the sub with Gears and the rest of the crew, he lingered behind.

When the last crew member had stepped out of the sub he watched as they walked away towards the doors that opened into Amaryllis.

Then he sat down again at the controls of the Sea dragon and gave a quiet sob:

_The years had gone by_.

It did feel as if it had been another life time, all those years ago when a crazy kid had pulled him from the sea and taken him home and looked after him.

That kid had been Gears, except his name had not been Gears back then - in those days, he had been a brilliant young student of science and medicine who was only a couple of years away from qualifying to become a cybernetics expert.

_He had talked about hearing the voice of God inside his head and told him that God would come to the Earth soon in the form of a man named Lazarus. _

_He had told him that God had explained many things about the Steel Trinity and that he was a part of it._

Magnet didn't doubt him after Gears had finished fixing him up; he hadn't even been fully qualified by the time he had added some minimal but essential wiring and then rebuilt his eye. Since the crash, Raymond had sunk low into a depression that had made him wish for death but after he looked into the mirror and saw his rebuilt face, after he understood that Gears had given him back his ability to speak too, he began to believe in him.

And now he _did_ believe in all that Gears had told him, just like the others here at Amaryllis did...

They were all the same; Gears had been instructed to find each and every one of them and bring them here and give them a new life - the suicide attempts, the addicts, the victims of assaults and shootings and stabbings- he brought them here, they left their old lives behind and he rebuilt them. And they became believers; they became kindred to Amaryllis...

_And he was one of them._

He used to be Raymond Taylor Braydon but now he was Magnet, captain of the Sea Dragon and loyal friend to Gears.

Magnet didn't know if Taylor would understand, but Gears was right – _soon, he would have to explain and hope that his brother could find it in his heart to forgive him for all the years he had believed him to be dead..._

* * *

Gadget walked along side Gears as they approached the main door.

Taylor trailed behind, looking around at the white, blank walls of the corridor.

He gave a sigh.

"Is this whole place painted white?" He grumbled, "Just blank walls, no mermaids either..."

Gears pushed open the doors.

"No, Taylor. You'll like it here." He promised him.

As they stepped through into a wide seating area, Gadget blinked in surprise:

Chandeliers decorated with delicate crystal drops that shimmered in the light hung from the ceiling. The walls were covered with dark, feather-pattered paper and ornate wall lamps with fixtures of polished brass threw out soft light through tulip bulbs of blown glass etched with swirled patterns. The carpet was sea green and here at the windows hung velvet drapes. The seating looked antique like old-fashioned couches from the Victorian age.

"Wow!" Taylor exclaimed, "It's like a big old-fashioned hotel!"

"It's very beautiful." Gadget added.

Gears gestured to another doorway.

"Come with me."

They followed him into another corridor and then turned left.

Taylor gave a gasp.

"It's a jungle under the sea!" He exclaimed as he looked through the glass at the trees and tall grass and rocks beyond that stretched for a considerable distance.

Gears laughed.

"Last time this place was used, they were doing botanical research with a view to creating wildlife in an enclosed space with artificial sunlight, something to do with a moon base they'd been planning to build some day. This area is great - it's perfect for Ursula."

And he raised the tin whistle to his lips and blew.

A large, glossy black panther made its way down the rocks and came over to the glass, as it jumped up on its hind legs and Taylor gave a gasp of alarm as Gears slid back a large window and leaned inside.

"Did you miss me, girl?" He said sweetly as the panther placed her great paws on his shoulders and affectionately licked his face as love shone in her eyes.

He stroked her head and spoke softly to her.

"I'm sorry I was gone so long. But I'm just fine now and I'm back home..."

And the panther looked into his eyes with startlingly deep understanding before climbing down again and stretching out on the grassy floor to chew on a lump of meat.

Gears closed the window and turned back to Gadget and Taylor.

"She's harmless. If you look at the back of her head behind her left ear you'll see she needed some work done."

And both men stared at the living metal that sat behind the panther's ear, it was decorated with swirling engraving much like the metal he had they had seen worn over the clockwork cybernetic parts belonging to the crew of the Sea Dragon.

"I was working for a lab and I found out they were using her for experiments, so I rescued her." Gears said proudly, "I saved her and fixed her up and she's very happy here. She's not dangerous, by the way – she's highly intelligent and _very_ gentle."

And then he walked on past the glass and Gadget and Taylor followed him down the corridor.

"So you've met the panther." Gears said, "Now for the cougar..."

And he looked left and right up the carpeted, softly lit corridor and frowned.

"Where is she?" He wondered, "Where _is_ my cougar?"

Taylor looked about nervously.

"He's got a cougar running loose in here?"

"How did you get the cougar?" Gadget wondered as he considered taking a chance in his weakened state and switching on his Gadget Mode, just in case the cougar was dangerous...

"I got her from the Blue Monkey." Gears replied, "Two years ago..."

Gadget shook his head.

"That place always did have a bad reputation –I can well believe someone was unscrupulous enough to sell a wild animal in there!"

"No, no – it was ladies night –" Gears stopped talking, looking up the corridor as his face lit up in a smile that made his eyes sparkle as he saw her wandering out of the bedroom.

"Oh my cougar!" He said with great relief, "I've found her, _here she is_..."

And Taylor frowned in confusion as a woman in a tight fitting, blue silk dress walked up them wearing high, designer heels.

She had a drink in her hand that was laden with ice and the ice clinked against the glass as she moved. She was curvy and her dress only emphasized that fact as she raised a hand that glittered with sparkling rings and swept her bottle blonde hair off her shoulder and glared at Gears. She was a _lot_ older than him – forty five, maybe fifty...

"That's not a cougar, that's a _woman._.." Taylor said in confusion.

And Gadget looked at Taylor as he smiled discreetly_._

"But she's definitely _his_ cougar!" He said as he looked away briefly and chuckled.

The woman met the gaze of the much younger man and placed her drink on a nearby table and then threw her arms around him.

"I've been worried sick about you! And you said you were coming home soon, that was this morning...it's now the _evening_, Gears!"

And she let go of him again as hurt reflected in her eyes.

"What time do you call this?"

Gears looked back at her apologetically as he struggled to find an answer that would please her.

He checked his pocket watch.

"Seven thirty?" He offered.

"Is that all you've got to say? I've been out of my mind worrying about you!" She exclaimed, snatching up her drink and heading off towards the bedroom once more.

Gears gave a sigh.

"I _tried_ to be nice..."

Gadget looked at him knowingly.

"Believe me, when a woman asks you a question like that, in _that _tone of voice, there's _never _a right answer." He confided.

And Gears walked on towards the open door.

"Carla, honey, please, I'm _so _sorry! I know how worried you were about me and I didn't want you to get upset. I've had the procedure...look..."

She had set her drink down on an antique dresser. Gadget and Taylor waited in the doorway, unsure if they ought to follow.

Gears unbuttoned his shirt.

"I've seen the metal plating work." Taylor offered, "It's great."

And then Gears opened up the panel, displaying the gleaming clockwork inside that turned within him, all coated with mirror shine living metal.

"It's beautiful!" Carla exclaimed, "Oh Gears, you've just become even _more_ awesome!"

And she stepped closer, gently touching a cog as it turned in rhythm with his body's own pulse.

"_Uughhhh!"_ Taylor said aloud, "Uggghhh...it's...it's _not_ man metal! It's like the inside of my old alarm clock! _It's gross!_"

Gears looked up at him in surprise.

"I don't like the idea of all your unnecessary non-essential wiring - but I don't say _your_ inner workings are gross."

Gadget turned to Taylor.

"Just try to be more tolerant to other people's differences, Taylor. Not everyone wants to be a hi-tech cyborg. There's nothing wrong with alternative methods as long as they work."

Taylor was still staring.

"_It's not proper man metal!"_

Gears started to smile as he closed up the chest plate and buttoned up his shirt once more.

"_Man_ metal?"

And Taylor just looked back at him, as if expecting him to understand his point of view without further explanation.

Instead, Gears changed the subject as he led Carla over to meet his guests.

"Carla, I would like to introduce you to Inspector Gadget of Riverton Police and his deputy, Taylor Braydon."

Gadget smiled politely and shook her hand.

Taylor also shook her hand, and then he looked back at Gears.

"I...I didn't mean to sound rude by what I said, its just that you know, sexy cyborg _manly _parts are usually made of pretty hi-tech stuff..."

Gears nodded.

"I understand. I'm _not _offended."

And Gadget breathed a relieved sigh to know that Taylor had not accidentally created bad feeling.

Then Taylor spoke again as he glanced at Carla and then looked at Gears once more.

"It's nice you've got your own community down here – and I think it's sweet of you to bring your Mom along too."

Gears was utterly confused.

"My Mom?"

"Yeah – _her._" And he looked at Carla, who laughed

"I'm not his Mom!" She exclaimed.

Taylor laughed at his own mistake.

"Of course not! You're _way_ too old for that..._you're his...Grandma?_"

And Gadget looked down at the carpet as he felt embarrassed for Taylor, who clearly hadn't noticed that Gears and his much older wife wore matching wedding rings...

"Carla is my wife." Gears stated, "My very beautiful wife."

Taylor's jaw dropped as he struggled to find the right words.

"_But she's so ol –"_

"Why don't we take a look around this place?" Gadget offered, shutting Taylor up before he accidentally fired off another insult to the older and very glamorous wife of the young Mr Gears.

Then Gears reached into his jacket pocket and drew out a computer disc.

"Actually I'd prefer it if Gadget stayed with me for a private talk in my study." He said, "Carla, perhaps you could show Taylor around?"

Carla smiled.

"I'd love to...come with me, Taylor..."

And Gadget flashed him a warning look just as he reached the door and Taylor sheepishly nodded, understanding what that look meant: _Don't say anything dumb or insulting, Taylor..._

* * *

As Taylor and Carla left the room, Gears led Gadget across the bedroom to heavy oak doors that he pushed apart. Then he led him through into another room.

"Impressed?" He wondered as Gadget looked around at the old-fashioned study with its big desk and old book cases.

"I was half expecting this to lead to your wife's walk in wardrobe!" Gadget remarked, and Gears laughed.

"There is a walk in closet – it's on the other side of the bedroom. That's just the small one she uses for her shoes..."

Gadget was listening but still looking at the books that lined the shelves:

They were not antique like the furniture; in here was a vast range of medical books on the subject of cyborg technology and developments.

Then Gadget looked out of the window at the water that flowed darkly outside where fish darted about and his thoughts darted about much like those fish as he tried to put the pieces together.

"You're a scientist?"

Gears nodded.

"And you saved the panther from a lab? Which lab are you referring to?"

Gears had briefly turned away to the computer on his desk – the only visible piece of modern equipment in the room – as he began to run the disk he had taken from his pocket.

The screen was lit up now and Gears was leaning on his desk as he watched it intently.

Gadget just stood there in the middle of the room, feeling it would be rude of him to barge over to his private desk and repeat the question.

Then his vision blurred and as the pain spread up his neck he winced, rubbing it as he wished the burning sensation that was creeping closer to the base of his skull would just stop, because it was sharp and painful and getting worse by the minute...

"I...I said...the panther..." Gadget drew in a sharp breath, "Where did you rescue it from? And is it okay if I sit down, I'm not feeling too good..."

Gears straightened up and broke his attention away from the screen as he noticed Gadget looked very weak all of a sudden.

"Of course you should sit down right away, Inspector. You should be resting."

As he took hold of Gadgets arm and steered him over to a couch and helped him to sit, Gadget looked up at the young man curiously.

"You seem to know a lot of things." He remarked, then he took and another sharp breath as the pain burned up the back of is neck and he kept his hand on it, gripping at it as he willed the agony to stop.

Gears stood over Gadget and gave him the answer to his question.

"I was working for Neurotech when I rescued the panther. This was after I'd sent word to your Police Department that I suspected Coral Devonshire was planning to put malware into memory boosting chips. Coral suspected I blew the whistle on her little plan and she had me tortured and shot and then she arranged a little explosion to cover her tracks - but by then I'd already been dumped in the river. Fortunately I'd been in the process of setting up Amaryllis and I was able to send a distress signal to Mr Magnet who got me into the Sea Dragon and took me home. I was barely alive. I'd been shot at close range but I had a team of cybernetic specialists already set up down here and they were able to save my life and rebuild me, repairing the damage with the kind of clockwork technology we were already researching."

Gadget was leaning back on the couch and still gripping at his neck, even though the pain had eased off a little now. He stared at the young man who stood before him, very much alive and rebuilt by clockwork cyborg technology...

"_You're Professor Byron?"_

And Gears smiled proudly.

"I was the youngest ever qualified cybernetic surgeon in the whole of the world when I got permission to open up Amaryllis."

And then his smile faded.

"And now I'm Gears. Lazarus had guided me for many years. He told me who to choose, where to go and find them..."

"Who?" Gadget said in a hushed voice as he wondered what Lazarus had to do with any of this, "Who did you have to find?"

And as he replied the young man had a look in his eyes somewhere between peace and wisdom that seemed holy and ageless beyond time:

"The lost and the forgotten and the broken. That's my job – I mend people. Lazarus says the Spirit of Invention dwells within every one of us, but I am the one who will be forever remembered after my lifetime as the living embodiment of that spirit."

Gadget's eyes grew wider as he looked at him in awe.

"You're a part of the Steel Trinity?"

"Apparently so – but I _still _had to break into Lula's records to get to your medical file."

And he stepped over to the desk and turned the screen around, showing Gadget the illuminated display of cracked wiring and fractured cables within his own cyborg spine.

"_I believe there's a chance I can fix you, Inspector Gadget."_ Gears told him_, "It won't be simple and it's never been done before - but I think there is a chance I may be able to save your life."_

* * *

"So you're really married to Gears?" Taylor remarked.

"Yes, I'm his wife. You seem so surprised, Deputy Braydon."

And Carla led him down another carpeted corridor.

He glanced back towards a bar room she had just finished showing him, it was pretty quiet being so early in the evening but he had smiled at the drinkers in there and they had politely glanced in his direction and then carried on enjoying their evening.

"The bar's cool." He said, wondering where they were headed next.

Then he saw another corridor that broke off into another section of the base; here there were no carpets and soft lighting, the walls were white and the lighting was harsh and it was a stark contrast to the homely surroundings of the community's living area.

"Where does that go to?"

"The cybernetics center." She replied, "That's my husband's main place of work – he's a scientist. He used to be Professor Byron before Coral Devonshire tried to have him killed."

Taylor stopped walking and stared at her.

"He's the Professor?"

Carla looked into his eyes and spoke in a lowered voice.

"Over there, to the north side of the base, we have more of the community - people who are rebuilt just like Gears - all people who once had other lives on the surface. They came here to be fixed and to be given a second chance. You would probably recognise some of them from your missing persons files. Not everyone presumed dead _is_ dead, Taylor. Sometimes by the grace of Lazarus they get a second chance with their lives. Gears said the time is coming for everyone to return to the surface – to live their new lives among the community of Riverton. He says the blends of our two technologies need to meet and fuse together."

"Wow..." Taylor said quietly as he thought about it, "So all these people were saved? They were saved and they came here and got fixed up and given new names?"

Carla smiled.

"It's not as simple as that, Taylor. They are all people who were willing to put their faith in Lazarus and begin a new life in the certain knowledge that God lives among us on the Earth as Lazarus."

Taylor laughed nervously.

"Eddie? I've met him, he's just an ordinary guy!"

Carla shook her head.

"He's much more than that, Taylor. Now if you come with me, I can show you to your room."

And she walked a little further up the carpeted hall and opened a door.

Taylor followed and glanced inside at the comfortable bed and the fine antique furnishings. It looked nice in there - but his mind was on Gadget.

"I need to get back to the Inspector, he's really sick and I don't want to leave him alone for too long."

"Just wait here for a while." She told him, leading into the room, "Gears is with him now. He's confident he may be able to find a way to cure him. I'm pretty sure that's what they are discussing at this very moment."

"A cure? You _seriously_ think he can do that?"

As she looked into his eyes she saw such desperation there; clearly Gadget was more than just a colleague to Deputy Braydon and as much as she had faith in her husband, she didn't want to make promises that Taylor would take as written in stone.

"He told me he believes there could be a way to fix him. Gears is a brilliant cybernetic neurosurgeon and he's just about the only specialist around who _does_ stand a chance of helping him. But no one can make any promises Taylor."

He thought of Gadget and felt an ache in his heart. He blinked back tears and nodded, unable to say another word as the distance that separated them became unbearable.

"I'm sure he'll be along to see you soon." Carla promised him, "Until then, just relax and wait in here."

"Okay." Taylor replied, and then he sat down on the bed and turned to the window and looked out at the dark waters where above no light filtered through because of the darkness of the night sky. Suddenly he didn't feel so excited at the thought of being in this underwater base any more; _there were no mermaids, it wasn't a magic kingdom and all he wanted to do was see Gadget, to know he was still okay, and to hear the good news that Gears could definitely fix him..._

Taylor stayed there on the bed, sitting alone and watching dark water through the window as fishes darted by, his thoughts fixed firmly on his best friend.

* * *

Gadget was still on the sofa.

He had relaxed a little now and his hand was off the back of his neck as Gears sat beside him and explained his plan.

"There are no guarantees." He said honestly, "To give you a chance of survival in the long term and a decent recovery too, I would have to unzip the cable and expose the fibers and lay a new micro fine cable along each fiber and inject the length in seven places to coat it with living metal to fuse the fibers and make them unbreakable. _Assuming_ that worked with every wire in that cable, I would then have to open up the back of your skull and feed the ends of the wires into your brain so they lay on top of the existing wiring. Then you're looking at around fifteen injections of living metal directly into brain tissue to coat the ends of the wiring."

Gadget knew he was perspiring and feeling shaky now but he wasn't sure if it was because of the pain he had just suffered or the prospect of going through such a big procedure that was causing it.

"Lula didn't mention anything like this to me. She said there was nothing that could be done."

"That's because she's on the hi-tech end of cybernetics. She's thinking about chemicals and programming – she's _not_ thinking about alternatives. But my side of cybernetics can do these things, but it is complicated - if you got through the surgery I would then have to permanently fix a small metal plate to the base of your skull which would boost your body's own electrical system to ensure the power flow stays strong to the wiring inside your head."

"And how much time would that buy me?" Gadget said quietly as he thought of Penny and the kids and knew this was his only chance to have any kind of time left to be with his family, to live for a little while longer.

"_It will last for the rest of your life."_ Gears replied, "It _is_ a cure."

Gadget stared at him.

"Are you sure?"

"If you make it, if there are no complications, you'll make a good recovery and then you can get on with your life. But we don't manufacture living metal here. We can use it if we have it, we can melt it down and use it to inject the cable and make this procedure work – but we would have to use donor metal and that would slow the healing down a little and react with your own synthetic skin, leaving scars - but there's a strong chance that I can save your life if I try this."

Gadget looked back at the young man who was half clockwork and thought about his options:

_Lula could do little for him except fill him with sealant that was agony to endure and it wasn't a cure, it would only delay the inevitable._

_He doubted if her research team would find a cure in time to save his life._

_And everything Gears had told him had sounded like there was a real chance that he could fix his problem..._

Gadget stayed silent for a moment, still thinking it over.

"I'm not sure about this." He finally said, "It's a big procedure and like you said, I'll make a good recovery _if_ I get through it. I _know_ how weak I am. I'm just not sure if I want to go through something that I might not be able to live through. At least I know if I go home I can be with my wife and my kids for a while longer."

Gears placed his hand on Gadget's arm and spoke gently to him as he explained the facts that Gadget was unaware of:

"This pain you're getting in the back of your neck is a warning that time is running out. You don't have long to make your decision, Gadget."

And Gadget closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath as he tried not to think about exactly how long he had left in this world.

Then he looked back at Gears with tired eyes and shook his head.

"I'm just not sure if I can put myself through this. Lazarus told me I won't always be Inspector Gadget, that everything ends eventually."

"Did he tell you anything else?" Gears asked him.

Gadget thought about it, recalling how he reminded him that he would always be by his side.

"I think he reminded me to keep faith in him."

Gears patted his arm.

"Perhaps you need to think about that - he's reminded you to _believe_." He replied.

Then he got up from the couch.

"You stay right here and rest; I'll go and find your friend. Maybe you could talk this over with Taylor Braydon."

Gadget leaned back against the soft couch and closed his eyes.

"I'll do that." He said, feeling weary and wanting to sleep as his tired mind fixed on the possibility that Gears might be able to help him.

And then as he rested, Gears left the room and went off to find Taylor, hoping that Gadget's best friend would be able to persuade Gadget to have the strength to take up the only chance he had to save his own life...

* * *

When Taylor heard a top on the door, he had been sitting on the bed watching fish swim past the window and thinking deeply about Gadget.

On hearing the knock he jumped up and hastily opened the door, only to find a stranger standing there.

"Yes?" He said impatiently, his thoughts were still with Gadget as he looked at the man who stood in his doorway:

_He was shorter than him with bright blond, cropped hair and as he noticed the print of pirate ships on his shirt he recognized him: _

_The captain of the Sea Dragon..._

"What do you want?" Taylor wondered.

And the man said nothing as he looked down at the carpet.

Because he was shorter that him, Taylor couldn't even see his face to look the man in the eye.

"What?" He demanded, "Say something, I'm getting worried...has something happened? Is Gadget okay? _Why won't you speak?_"

Magnet was still looking down at the carpet and he blinked away tears as he heard his brother's voice getting higher and sharper as he got worked up; he was just like he remembered him, Taylor hadn't changed much at all...

"What do you want?" Taylor exclaimed, "Why are you just standing there not even looking at me? _Say something!_"

And Magnet thought about Gears and wished he had taken his advice and waited instead of coming here because he lacked patience, because he just wanted to see Taylor again...

He slowly raised his head and as Taylor's eyes grew wider as he took in his features, tears ran from Magnet's eyes.

"I'm sorry." Magnet said quietly, "I _can_ explain if you let me."

But Taylor was still staring at him; as he stared he stepped backwards into the room, taking in the mans features – he still had a thin scar that ran down his left cheek, a legacy from the car accident - but it was nothing like it used to be. And his replacement eye was set in a brass socket that had been coated with living metal, the iris turned and the chess board pattern within it spun around left, then right and then fixed with a faint _click_ as he looked into his eyes.

"It's me." The man was saying, "Taylor, it's _me_ – it's your brother."

Taylor took another step back.

"_No, my brother is dead!"_

Magnet laughed softly and shook his head.

"Raymond is dead - as you knew him to be - I'm a different person now. My name is Magnet. I was fixed by Gears. I was given a new life. I've changed, Taylor!"

But Taylor sharply turned his back as he sucked in a breath and remembered grieving for his brother – _his whole family had been shattered by losing Raymond – and all the time they'd though him dead, he had been living his life, getting his face rebulit and his eye replaced and having a whole new life they knew nothing about?_

Then warmth crept into his brother's voice.

"You never were too smart, Taylor. Just _think_ about it and it will all make sense - come here... turn around and come here and give your little brother a hug..."

Taylor turned around.

Rage was blazing in his eyes as he slammed his fist into Magnet's cheek, then the two men crashed to the floor struggling as Magnet grabbed at Taylor's fist to hold him back from landing him another punch.

"_Let go of me!"_ Taylor raged, _"You don't know what you did to us when you vanished the way you did!"_

And his hand was still balled into a fist, he was still on top of his brother as Magnet gripped at his wrist with one hand while his other was heavy against his arm, trying to hold him back from dealing more blows.

"_I'm sorry!"_ He yelled, _"Just let me explain!"_

And as the man who now called himself Magnet looked into the eyes of Taylor Braydon, he was sure he had never seen him so angry in the whole of his life; Taylor's eyes were burning with fury.

Then Taylor took in a breath and relaxed his fist and Magnet cautiously let him go, eyeing him warily as they both got back to their feet once more, but Taylor didn't hit him again as Magnet backed off.

Instead he fixed his furious gaze on him and spoke in a low, bitter voice, saying the only words that he could find to sum up how he felt:

"_You should have stayed dead!"_


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Gadget was not sure how long he had sat on the couch in the study, but Gears had been gone some time and as he sat there alone he thought over all he had said about the procedure that he claimed could cure him.

Then he gave a heavy sigh as he thought about how frequent and debilitating the pain was becoming, before finally taking his wallet from his pocket and opening it up.

He took out a picture of him and Penny and their baby daughter and looked at it, wishing he could climb back into that image and stay in a safe past where nothing was unknown and everything was unchangeable.

His thoughts drifted back to the time machine that had sent him back to find Taylor when Claw's weapon had become super powered – but then he remembered that if he went back to the past, his younger self would be there and that would do nothing save the fact that his own self back then would have to watch his older self die... there was certainly no cure for him back there in the old days...

Tears stung his eyes as he looked at the picture again and thought about how he wanted to spend a lot of years with Penny, as many as he could get – and he wanted to see all his kids grow up, but his youngest most of all because Hope was the child he had created with Penny, the child they had not expected to be able to have and she was here now and it seemed so unfair that he would have to lose the chance to see her grow up.

Gadget put the pictures away and put his wallet back into his pocket and sat in silence as he thought about Taylor – what would he do without him? He couldn't imagine Taylor coping when he was gone – _but_ _he could picture Taylor sobbing inconsolably at his graveside and that was an image he didn't want inside his head._

Then he thought about Taylor's twin boys – on the day they were born, Taylor had promised they would know him as their Uncle Gadget.

_Now it looked as if they would only ever hear stories about their Uncle Gadget, who Taylor would say had died when they were babies..._

He thought of Grace and Emily and Maxie and Alice. He pictured them all in his mind's eye and then wondered what they would look like when they were grown up.

Then he took in an unsteady breath as he wiped his eyes, feeling sure he would never get to see those kids grow up unless he took up the offer Gears had made him. He was so weak and his condition was so unstable he wasn't even sure if he would live long enough to see them again, to hold them again...

"_I want to be with my children."_ He whispered tearfully, _"I can't leave them..."_

And as he looked around he felt a surge of panic as wondered how to find Gears because he needed to find him fast, he needed to tell him that he wanted to grab this chance and have the procedure because he knew for sure he couldn't do nothing about it when he still had a chance to keep his life...

Then he heard voices as two people approached the closed door.

"Taylor," Gears was saying, "I'm _so_ sorry that your brother introduced himself the way he did – he should have waited. "

"It makes no difference to me." Gadget heard Taylor say bitterly, "I _never_ want to see him again!"

And then the door opened and the two men walked into the room.

Taylor was still angry as he spoke up.

"Gadget, you wouldn't _believe_ this – my dead brother, he's _not_ dead! He's one of these Amaryllis Kindred people – he's been alive all these years and he never let me know about it! He let me and my family think he was dead and all the time he's been right here –"

Taylor stopped.

The anger vanished from his eyes as he stared at Gadget, now thinking only of his best friend, who sat tearfully on the couch as he looked up at him and then fixed his gaze on Gears.

_"I'll do it."_ He said in a hushed voice, _"I want you to do whatever it takes. Please keep me alive, try to..."_

And as he gave a sob, Taylor sat down beside him and put his arm around him.

Gadget slumped against him and wept as he pressed his face against his shoulder.

"It's okay," Taylor said softly as he kept his arm around him, "Don't be scared, Gadget. I'm here, I'm not leaving your side. I'll be with you all the way."

Gadget nodded and then took in a breath and sat up as he quickly wiped his eyes, wishing he could grab hold of his emotions and stuff them away out of sight, lock them down until he felt able to control them- but he didn't have a gadget mode that could do that...

"_I want the procedure."_ He repeated.

He looked up at Gears, who was standing over him with deep understanding in his eyes.

"This treatment will cure you." Gears promised him, "And you will most likely make a full recovery – but it is risky and you are very weak. I want to be able to give you a chance to beat this thing, but you need to understand the risks_: You could die on the table in the lab while I'm fortifying the wiring. You could bleed into your brain while I'm coating the higher end of the wires with living metal. You could at least come out of this with minor brain damage or at worst with severe damage. I can't predict the outcome of that._ Do you understand _exactly_ how dangerous this will be?"

Gadget's eyes were red and tearful.

"I know all that." He said quietly, "But I know for sure I'll die if you don't do it."

Gears noticed Gadget's hands were shaking slightly as he sat beside Taylor.

"I'm going to get my team together and make sure they've seen your medical file. I'll run the disk in the lab now and explain what we're going to do. I have all the materials to carry the procedure out but I will need some living metal to melt down – I need a big slice of it so I'll have to find a donor with a considerable mass of it – that shouldn't be a problem; this place is full of cyborgs and each one of them would be willing to help you. I'm going to set everything up so the lab is ready - but I won't be performing the surgery until morning, because I want you to be sure this is what you want to do."

And Gadget breathed a huge sigh as relief washed over him.

"Thanks, I do...I _do_ need more time...I want to do this...I'm just...I don't know, I'm scared, I need to think about it..."

And Gears once again saw doubt in the eyes of Inspector Gadget, but he gently rubbed his shoulder and nodded.

"That's fine." He said gently," This is up to you. Of course I want to try to help you, but I know the risks and so do you. This _has_ to be your decision."

Gadget turned to Taylor.

"I need to call Penny before I do anything else - I need to talk to her."

"And I need to call Evie." Taylor replied, "I have to tell her I won't be coming home without you."

And Taylor smiled as he looked into Gadgets eyes.

"I meant what I said; I _won't_ leave your side."

His words gave Gadget much comfort and he smiled warmly at him.

"Thank you Taylor." He said quietly, "It means a lot to me."

And then as he felt sure he was about to cry, Gadget started to laugh, because Taylor had stepped right in front of Gears as he threw off his jacket and began to speak.

"You need some living metal? Let me show you what _real _man metal looks like!"

And Gears stared at him speechless as Taylor stripped off his shirt.

"I have a _great_ deal of living metal in my upper body – you see where that strip of metal runs up the inside of my arm? You can unseal that skin and lift it back – my whole arm is metal underneath! Take as much as you need, I want to help Gadget –I'll donate as much as you want to take from me!"

Gears was still feeling bewildered as Taylor stepped even closer to him.

"Don't be afraid to touch me." He confided, "This is what _proper_ cyborg technology looks like. Don't be afraid to touch a _real_ man..."

Gadget was still laughing, even though it hurt to laugh because he felt so lousy.

"I think he's got your point, Taylor..."

Gears took a step back.

"That's fine, I'll arrange for you to go to the lab and have the donor material removed...but... no, stop...could you _not_ do that..."

Taylor had stepped forward again, leaning even closer to Gears.

"Just touch it." He stated again, "I don't bite! I'm just made of the kind of _manly_ material you haven't seen before – don't fear it because you're in awe of it!"

And Gears stepped back again, holding out his hand to prevent Taylor coming forward again.

"I'm not in awe of it," He said, "I just don't want you to do _that._..stop getting into my personal space - you're almost on top of me!"

And Taylor smiled knowingly as he stepped back and reached for his shirt.

"Of course, I understand- it's probably overwhelming for you to see me with my shirt off. That's the power of the man metal..."

And as he buttoned up his shirt Taylor shook his head as he reached for his jacket again.

"_I just can't help this effect my awesome cyborg body has on everyone I meet..."_

"I'm going to the lab to make the arrangements." Gears said, then the young man left the room before Taylor could thrust his cyborg body up close to his face again.

* * *

As he sat down beside Gadget, Taylor's eyes were shining with excitement.

"I'm going to be your donor!" He said joyfully, "You'll have a part of me inside you forever!"

And he put his arm around Gadget's shoulder.

Gadget's neck was throbbing again and he was grateful for Taylor's closeness as he rested his head against him.

"Thank you." Gadget said wearily, "It means a lot to me, you're doing so much to help me."

Taylor glanced down at him as Gadget rested his head on his shoulder.

"It's no big deal you're my best friend, I'd do _anything_ for you!"

"I'm doing this for Penny and the kids." Gadget told him, "It's my only chance to get to stay with them. And I really want to see your boys grow up, too."

And then the pain burned up his neck sharply and he gave a low whine.

"Is it getting bad?" Taylor said gently.

Gadget closed his eyes."

"Yeah, it's bad...I'll have to call Penny soon and tell her what's happening."

"I'll call Evie and let her know too." Taylor replied.

As Gadget leaned harder against his shoulder Taylor reached up and stroked Gadget's hair.

"It'll be okay, you'll get through this, Gadget. Just stay here and rest with me for a little while."

And Gadget murmured something he didn't catch as he pressed harder against Taylor's shoulder, fighting the blinding pain that cut deep into the base of his skull.

"Are you okay now?" Taylor asked him as he held him close.

He looked down at Gadget, whose eyes were now closed.

"I...think so...I'm tired..." He murmured, "I'm so tired, Taylor..."

Then Gadget's body stiffened as more pain shot through his neck and he trembled as Taylor held him.

Taylor kept a tight grip on him as Gadget breathed hard, and then his body relaxed again.

"It won't hurt for much longer." He promised him, "Gears _will _fix you. And then you can go home to Penny and the kids..."

_He stopped talking_.

He had been stroking Gadget's hair as spoke to him, but now he stopped doing that, too.

_Gadget was leaning heavily against him like a dead weight and except for slow, even breaths, he was not moving at all..._

He felt panic rising inside him as he sat him up straight, but Gadget just slumped forward once more.

Taylor caught him and gently leaned him back against the couch.

Gadget was unconscious and blood was running from his nose.

"_Gadget?"_ He said tearfully, "Gadget? Please, please wake up..._please_..."

He gently shook him but Gadget remained unresponsive.

Taylor jumped up from the seat.

"I'll get help!" He said in a panicked voice, then he dashed to the door and wrenched it open, saw no sign of Gears or anyone else in the corridor, and feeling afraid for his best friend, Taylor stood there and yelled for help at the top of lungs.

* * *

_Everything happened fast._

Gears came rushing into the study, then he briefly loosened Gadget's tie and felt for a pulse before telling Taylor that Gadget's condition had now reached critical because his upper spinal cable had suffered a second rupture.

And Taylor, too afraid to do anything that could be wrong or get in the way of the medical staff summoned by Gears, had sat sobbing as Gadget was examined, and then he had sobbed harder as someone handed him his best friends trench coat and he had pressed his face against it as he wept.

Gadget was laid on a trolley and wheeled out of the room quickly, leaving Taylor sitting there alone hugging his trench coat as he sobbed for his best friend.

"Taylor," Gears said urgently, "I need you to come to the lab right now because I need to take that donor metal from your arm. There's no time to waste because Gadget had just become critical – he's in the final stages and we have to move fast."

Taylor had got up and followed him out of the room, he clutched tightly at Gadget's trench coat as he walked along the hallway with Gears.

As they turned the corner and headed over to the bright, white corridor that led to the cybernetics unit he saw Magnet approaching from the other corridor.

The two men looked at each other and Magnet saw sadness in his eyes and his own expression changed to one of concern, but Taylor just looked away from his brother, pressing his face against Gadget's coat, inhaling the familiar scent of oil and sweat as he tearfully wondered if his best friend would get through this.

Once they entered the lab, Gears led him over to a reclining chair and asked him to sit down.

"Okay..." Taylor said quietly, placing Gadget's coat on a table at the back of the room and then taking his own jacket off and draping it on top of it. As he unbuttoned his shirt his mind was far from thoughts of bragging about his man metal now; he took it off and placed it with his coat and then sat down. As Gears adjusted the chair he looked anxiously at him.

"Where's Gadget?"

"My staff are trying to stabilize him and get him ready for surgery."

And Gears slid out an armrest and turned it outwards, stretching Taylor's arm out and turning it over.

He ran his hand down his arm, feeling for the seam that opened up to reveal the metal beneath.

"You're fully sensitized?"

Taylor nodded.

"You might need to numb it first. It doesn't matter if you don't have time - I just want Gadget to be okay."

"It _does_ matter." Gears replied as he reached for a small can of anaesthetic spray, "I don't want to hurt you any more than I have to. After this wears off you will feel _very_ sore. And the living metal will grow back over itself leaving a large exposed area of metal that the skin will bond to. In other words, you will have more metal to show for it – like a scar of sorts. The spray will numb the synthetic skin and numb the surface of the metal beneath but you'll have some pain as it heals. The healing time will take around twenty four hours to complete but your arm will feel bruised for a couple of days afterwards."

"That's no big deal compared to what Gadget's going through." Taylor stated.

Then the spray hit his arm with a sharp burst and instantly felt like ice.

"You might want to look away." Gears advised him as he started to run a scalpel up the seam in the middle of his arm, "I'll be removing this section of flesh and it won't be going back...that's what I mean about the metal showing through."

Taylor looked down with interest as Gears peeled back the skin and wiped away blood and oil to reveal the gleaming metal beneath the surface. As he held the loosened flap of artificial skin and slowly and carefully began to slice it away, Taylor continued to watch.

"I don't mind watching." He remarked, "I _love _looking at my man metal! Do you see what I mean about how I've got a lot of it? I think it's cool..."

Gears didn't answer him as he turned on a small device with a flat, razor-sharp edge and used his free hand to hold down Taylor's wrist.

Taylor smiled.

"Wait till I get home and show Evie my _big_ piece of exposed man metal! She'll be so proud of me, to know that I did this for Gadget...plus I like the chance to show off more of my metal any way..."

Gears smiled and shook his head.

"You sound like you've got a robofetish for this kind of stuff."

"As a matter of fact I have, I am a _very_ enthusiastic fetishist!" He said with a smile on his face.

Then the doors to the operating room briefly opened as a member of staff entered, and as the doors swung back Taylor's smile vanished as he caught sight of Gadget:

His best friend was on the table and deeply unconscious, he was surrounded by machinery and had a mass of wires and sensors attached to his upper body. He was breathing through a tube and his face was pale and the signals that beeped on the monitors were erratic as the staff worked on him to prepare him for surgery.

"_Gadget?"_ Taylor said tearfully.

He was aware that Gears was gripping his wrist and the machine was vibrating against the thick living metal that covered his cyborg arm, but even as a long sliver of his own metal sheared away in a soft curl of steel that was spotted with blood, he could think only of Gadget.

"_I want to see him!"_ He said as he gave a sob.

Gears transferred two large shavings of living metal to a steel bowl and then took off another strip.

"As soon as you're done I'll dress the wound and _yes_, you can see him before surgery. But only for a couple of minutes...that's the best I can do, Taylor."

"Thanks." Taylor said, and Gears slid the device down his exposed metal again and this time Taylor felt a sharp sting.

"Sorry." Gears said, "That was the last one – it went a bit deep."

And Taylor looked in surprise at the curls of sheered off metal that filled the bowl.

Then he looked down at his own arm; there was a long, wide strip of synthetic skin missing now and the metal beneath had been shaved down several thicknesses, leaving a hollow in the place where the metal had been stripped off. What was left of the living metal was spotting with blood and oil and as the spray began to wear off Taylor gave a cry of pain.

"_Oh God that hurts!"_

Gears said nothing and gave it another liberal spray, instantly icing the pain.

"Better?" He asked him.

Taylor nodded.

Gears gave it a second spray and then taped on a dressing to cover the wound.

"You can't see Gadget yet - I have to make sure he's stable enough for the procedure, but once he's stabilized I'll let you in. And you need to go and lie down for at least twenty minutes while your system gets used to the loss of blood and oil and starts to set about healing the living metal. Just go and lie down and I'll send someone to come and get you when you can see Gadget, okay?"

Taylor got up, feeling no pain from his numb arm as he picked up his coat and shirt and Gadget's trench coat too.

Gears leaned out of the door way and called to Carla.

As Taylor reached the door he looked back at the operating room, but the doors were closed now.

"Taylor?"

He turned to see Carla standing there.

She smiled kindly and held out her hand.

"Come on, you need to get some rest. That was a very brave thing you just did for your friend."

And Taylor suddenly felt tearful and it was nothing to do with his arm because the pain was still being held at bay.

He nodded and blinked away tears, letting Carla take him by the hand and lead him away from the lab.

* * *

Gears took the bowl of living metal over to a sink in the corner of the room and rinsed it to clean off spots of oil and blood.

Then he went through to the operating room and passed the bowl to one of his colleagues, with the instruction to have it melted down and kept at a constant temperature to keep it from solidifying.

The he went over to a cabinet and searched through bottles of pills before he found the right one and put it in his pocket. The pills were for Taylor Braydon to help with the pain he would get from his healing arm but he hadn't thought to give them to him before he left; his thoughts had been with getting that metal ready instead.

He instructed the staff who were working on Gadget to keep him stable, and to watch the screen on the wall to become familiar with the cable layout, then he left the room in search of someone useful who could give the pills to Taylor.

_He didn't have to look very far._

Carla was standing a sort distance away from the doors that led out into the other part of the building. Magnet was with her and looking very sorry for himself.

"I was only trying to _explain_ to him! It's not my fault Taylor got mad at me, I didn't know he was going to do that!" He protested.

"But you should have waited like Gears told you to –"

Carla stopped talking as she realized her husband had joined them.

"It's okay Carla." He said, "I'll handle this."

And he reached in his pocket and took out the pill bottle and handed it to Magnet.

"It's some mild pain relief for Taylor Braydon. He's just donated some living metal for his friend Inspector Gadget and pretty soon he's going to need this to take the edge off when the pain kicks in."

Magnet stared at him.

_"But he hates me!"_

"Give the pills to your brother, Magnet. He needs them. And he also needs to have a lie down for at least twenty minutes while his system adjusts to the loss of the metal. I told him he can see Inspector Gadget before he has the surgery, so it's important that he rests for a short time. Perhaps this time you'll be able to meet without fighting?"

Magnet looked down at the pills in his hand and then thought about what Gears had just said: _He was right, Taylor would need them..._

"I'll give them to him." He agreed.

"He's in room 23 on the guest wing." Carla added.

"Thanks." Magnet said quietly, and then he turned and walked away.

Carla looked into her husbands eyes.

"I don't think I've ever seen you so afraid for one of your patients before." She told him, "I know you care about people and you always do your best but you seem so scared for Gadget. Is it because he's so sick? Do you think you're going to lose him?"

"I don't know." Gears replied, "All I know is, when I look at him, I think about my own father."

Carla's eyes clouded with confusion.

"But your father's alive and well! He's a watchmaker; he's the one who got you interested in clock work!"

Gears smiled sadly and shook his head.

"But he's my stepfather. I'm not talking about him – I mean my _real_ Dad – he died when I was a kid. I never go the chance to grow up around him. And Inspector Gadget wants to do this for his kids - he wants to _live_, Carla. He wants that so badly, just to be with his children..."

And for a split second, Carla wondered if Gears was going to cry.

She stared at him.

"I had no idea this was affecting you so deeply."

Gears shook his head.

"I had no idea I would feel this way either. Sometimes I just make a connection with a patient and I feel so much for them. I _know_ feel close to Gadget - I can understand _exactly_ how desperate he is to survive. I want to make sure that he does. I want him to get better and go home to those kids he loves so very much."

Carla's eyes shone with love as she put her arms around him and gave him a brief kiss.

"You're the finest man I've ever known." She told him, "And if there's anyone in this world who can save him, it's _you_, Gears."

Then she stepped back and smiled, feeling relieved the sadness had lifted from his eyes.

"Go and fix your patient, genius."

And Gears smiled at her and couldn't help but blush as she gave him that radiant look of love that had never left her eyes since the night they first met.

"Thank you for believing in me." He said to her.

"I'll _always _believe in you." She promised him, and then she walked off towards the doors that led to the living area of the base, leaving a ghost of the trace of her perfume behind.

"_I'm a lucky man..."_ He murmured as he thought about just how much she loved him.

Then he turned back to the lab and went inside, because now his thoughts were only with his patient, and he was determined Inspector Gadget would come through this and survive...

* * *

Taylor was sitting on the bed in that comfortable room where he could watch the fishes dart past the window.

But he wasn't looking at the fishes or thinking about mermaids or how exciting this place had first seemed - the pain deep in his arm was starting to sting sharply and his eyes were filled with tears as he thought about Gadget lying on that table in the lab covered in wires and surrounded by monitors as the medics tried to keep him alive.

"_Please don't die." _He whispered as he gave a sob, _"Please, I love you, Gadget..."_

Then he wiped his eyes and sat there in silence for a moment as he remembered Gears had promised he could see him one last time before the surgery he wanted to go in there and be strong for him, even though Gadget was unconscious he hoped he would be able to hear him on some level and he wanted to tell him to hold on, because he wasn't going to leave this place without him. And he didn't want Gadget to know he had been crying...

Taylor put his shirt back on but didn't button it up because since having the metal removed he had felt hot and shaky and now the pain was coming out in his arm, he felt even worse.

He rolled up his sleeves and then looked at the dressing on his arm and wondered how his man metal was healing. It was hurting so he guessed it was already beginning the process of rapid healing, but he didn't want to look at it just yet because he never liked to see even the slightest dent or scratch on its shiny surface under normal circumstances, but this was different – he was starting to imagine it might fall out and leave a hole in his cyborg arm...

Then he remembered what Gears had said about a scar and it gave him some comfort to know that for the rest of his life he would have a strip of living metal exposed on his arm, a souvenir from the day he helped to save the life of his best friend...

_If he lived._

Taylor gave another quiet sob and wiped away his tears again as he desperately hoped Gadget would pull through.

Then Taylor thought about calling Evie; it was getting late and he didn't doubt that she would be at home with the Taylor Tots wondering what had happened to him. He didn't want her to worry, but he knew he needed to calm down before he called her, because if he started crying on the phone she would _definitely_ worry.

And then another thought hit him that made his heart ache:

Gadget had wanted to phone Penny to let her know what was going on, but he had never got the chance to make that call.

"I'll call her for you, Gadget." He said aloud,"I'll call her soon."

And then he wondered; exactly _when_ should he call Penny?

_Before the procedure, when all she would know was Gadget had collapsed?_

_Or afterwards, when he could give her good news that he was recovering?_

_But maybe it wouldn't be good news..._

Taylor leaned back on the pillows as he tried to rest to speed up the healing to his arm as he wished he wasn't alone, because he just didn't know what to do for the best and his arm was hurting more with every passing minute...

* * *

Magnet approached Taylor's door and then paused outside, wondering if there would be any point in politely knocking; _either he was about to get another punch in the face or he wasn't..._

"Taylor?" He called out.

There was a pause and then Taylor replied.

"Go away, Magnet, Raymond, Raymond-Magnet or whatever it is you call yourself these days _– just go!_"

But Magnet opened the door and went into his room.

Taylor wanted to jump up and hit him again but as he glared at him with tear stained eyes he knew getting up wouldn't be a good idea; Gears was right – he felt weak and his arm was hurting and he needed to say right where he was on the bed, resting so his cyborg body could quickly heal.

Magnet walked over to his bedside and placed the pills on the table next to it.

"Gears asked me to bring you some meds for the pain."

Taylor snatched up the bottle and read the label.

"This isn't cybernetic medication! This is mild _human_ pain relief!"

Magnet said nothing as he went into the bathroom, found a glass on the shelf, filled it with water and then returned to his brother's side.

He set the glass down on the table and took the pills from Taylor and opened the bottle and set two pills down next to the water before putting closing the bottle once more.

"Just take them. Gears said they'll make you feel better."

Taylor stared at him.

"You really are stupid, Magnet! When I was younger I always thought _I_ was the dumb one in the family, but maybe I was wrong – these meds are human, _not_ cyborg "

"And human medication is much milder and less harmful, with less side effects and that's why Gears gives it to his patients. You don't need to use cybernetic drugs all the time for _every_ cyborg condition; some respond well to human medication."

The pain in his arm was throbbing and Taylor knew it would get worse so he grabbed the pills and took the quickly, swallowing them down with the water.

"Since when did _you_ become an expert on anything?"

"I have good computer skills. I'm a fine hacker when the need arises. _And_ I'm learning about cybernetic surgery. Gears is teaching me all he knows."

Taylor stared at his brother.

"_You_ want to be a doctor?"

Magnet nodded.

"Gears is teaching me so that I can help others."

Taylor shook his head.

"_You never used to think of anyone except yourself, Magnet!"_

And Magnet ignored the bitterness in his voice as he explained further.

"I'm _not_ Raymond any more. I had to leave my old life behind when I accepted a new one, when I came to understand that my life had been spared and I'd been given a second chance. It can't be undone but I'm still here, bro!"

And he smiled hopefully, but Taylor did not smile.

"Don't call me that." He said sharply, "I'm _not_ your bro any more!"

And then he settled back, giving a sigh as the pain in his arm finally started to fade.

"The meds are working?" Magnet wondered.

"Yeah." Taylor replied, "I guess you were right about that...but I don't really have anything _else_ to say to you."

As Taylor fell silent, Magnet headed for the door.

"Make sure you rest." He reminded him,"I'll come back for you when Gears says you can see Gadget."

"Okay." Taylor replied quietly, fixing his gaze on the window and watching the fishes dart by, because _anything_ would be better to look at than his own brother, because right now he didn't _want_ to look at him...

"I'll leave you to rest." Magnet said again.

He considered asking Taylor if he needed anything but he guessed Taylor's answer would be a firm _no_, so he left him alone with his thoughts and closed the door on his way out.

* * *

Magnet made his way back down from the guest rooms towards the cybernetics lab.

When he reached the doors to the corridor, he entered but noticed how silent everything seemed all of a sudden.

He thought of his brother and hoped Taylor wasn't about to get bad news, because he saw no medical staff coming in or out of the operating room. The doors were closed and he could hear nothing at all.

Magnet pushed the door open and went inside.

The staff were all gone except for Gears, who was in his lab coat now.

"Where is everyone?" He wondered.

"I've sent them away for fifteen minutes to go and study the images of Gadget's spinal cable." He told him, "Just so we all know exactly what to expect."

Magnet looked down at the man on the table:

Gadget was draped up to his waist with a sheet and for now he was lying on his back. He was on oxygen and some of the wires that had been used to monitor his vital signs were gone now, but he was still hooked up to some necessary equipment and it came as a relief to see that he was now stabilized - his heart and pulse and blood pressure were all steady, but he was pale and breathed slowly and his skin shimmered with sweat under the harsh lights and Gadget's hair had been cropped shorter in preparation for the surgery, but only a small section at the base of his skull had been shaved.

"I'm not so concerned about fortifying the cables in his spine." Gears told Magnet, "It's when I have to inject into the brain tissue, that's when it gets risky. And he's _very_ weak. I don't think it could do any harm to use this time to ask the Good Lord Lazarus to help this man to get through this difficult time. I think it could only help."

And Magnet nodded.

He watched as Gears drew a vial of water from his pocket. The water was from the house of Lazarus and The Lord Himself had blessed it, telling Gears to use it to lend strength to the weak in times of need.

Magnet stood back and watched as Gears opened the vial and stood over Gadget, and then as Gears began to speak, Magnet bowed is head in prayer.

"_I ask that you be given strength and healing by the Lord Lazarus, with protection of the Sentinel and by the work of The Spirit of Invention may the Steel Trinity protect you, Inspector Gadget."_

"Amen." Magnet said quietly, then as he looked up again he watched Gears place a drop of the water on Gadget's brow.

And Gadget lay there breathing on oxygen with his eyes closed, unaware that Gears had just called upon the power of the Almighty to give him strength.

"_The Lord is watching over you."_ Gears whispered as he closed the vial, _"You're not alone, Inspector Gadget..."_


	11. Chapter 11

*** Warning to the faint hearted – this chapter contains graphic scenes of surgery.***

Chapter 11

As Magnet went to find his brother, he thought about the holy water that Gears had just given to Inspector Gadget.

He didn't doubt its power but he knew nothing was certain except for the fact that he believed, just as Gears did, that the outcome for the Inspector was largely in the hands of Lazarus now.

As he reached Taylor's door he remembered that he probably wouldn't be in the mood to say much to him at all, and he planned to keep it brief and simply tell him that Gears had said he could now go and see Gadget.

But when he knocked, there was no reply.

Magnet knocked again, and then entered the room.

Taylor was on the bed on top of the covers, he was still in his clothes but his shirt was open and his sleeves were rolled up, and he was fast asleep.

As he got closer to the bed he felt bad about waking him when the pain relief had kicked in and helped him to rest like this – but there was little time and if Taylor wanted to see Gadget, he had to go _now_...

Magnet gently touched his shoulder, nudging him carefully, avoiding his healing arm.

_"Taylor..."_

As he heard his name Taylor woke up with a jolt, gasping as he sat up sharply and looked at Magnet.

"What?" He said anxiously, "What's happened?"

"Nothings wrong." He told him, "Gears told me to come and fetch you, it's time to see Gadget."

Taylor got up, feeling a dull ache in his arm.

"How are you?" Magnet asked him as they walked back into the corridor.

Taylor kept his eyes on the route in front of him, walking towards the turn in the corridor that led eventually to the lab.

"I'm worried about Gadget, how do you _think_ I'm feeling?"

"I meant your arm. Is it okay?"

Taylor gave him the briefest of glances and shook his head.

"As if _you_ care..."

And Taylor walked on ahead and Magnet quickened his pace to keep up with him.

"I _do_ care, Taylor!"

And as they reached the doors to the lab Taylor walked on, leaving him behind as he went inside to see Gadget.

Magnet stood outside the lab and fixed his gaze on the closed doors.

"_I do care."_ He said again, wishing his big brother would come to his senses and realize he was telling the truth...

* * *

The lab was busier now and the medical staff were back and getting equipment ready.

Gears was standing next to the table and as Taylor walked in he gently touched Gadget's shoulder and spoke to him quietly.

"Taylor's here to see you." He said, hoping that Gadget could hear him.

Then he looked at Taylor and saw sadness in his eyes and knew it was time to step back and give him some privacy.

"I don't know if he can hear you." He told him honestly, "He's been in a coma since the cable ruptured. Obviously the repair work should fix everything but there are no guarantees and he is very weak. _This could be the last time you ever see him_."

Taylor wanted to cry all over again but he remembered that he wanted to stay strong for his best friend, so he just nodded and then took in a deep breath as he got closer to the table.

"Gadget," He said quietly, "Don't worry about anything."

And he grasped his hand firmly, but Gadget didn't respond.

"I'm here for you." He told him, "You're the best friend I ever had and I'll _never_ let you down. I'm not leaving without you, I'm staying right here and I'll be here when you wake up again. And don't worry about Penny; I'll call her for you."

And he stopped talking and looked at Gadget, who was laying there with his eyes closed as he gave no response while he breathed on oxygen and the machines monitored his vital signs.

Then Taylor let go of his hand and leaned closer to him.

_"You have to get through this."_ He whispered, _"We all love you so much, and you're a fighter, I know you can do this, Gadget."_

He heard Gears remind him there was no more time and Taylor gently ran his hand over Gadget's cropped hair and briefly kissed his cheek.

"Please get through this." He said again, and then Taylor straightened up and looked at Gears.

"Take care of him, promise me you'll do that...you can't lose him, too many people love him..."

Gears nodded.

"I'll do everything I can to save him." He promised.

"Thank you." Taylor said quietly, then he turned and walked out of the lab.

Taylor had kept himself together in all the time he had been with Gadget and not shed a single tear. He had been strong like he needed to be but now he was out in the corridor again his composure crumbled.

As he started to cry he was grateful that someone else was standing there, so grateful that he flung his arms around him and felt thankful that he was there to hold him up as sobbed uncontrollably and buried his face against his shoulder.

_And Magnet said nothing; he just held his brother in his arms and let him weep._

* * *

Gears watched as Gadget was turned over and the sheet was pulled down, exposing his back beneath the harsh lights.

He looked at the screen that held an image of the internal cable and then checked the monitors:

_Gadget was stable for now even though he was weak and that was the best he could hope for..._

As he thought about the look he had seen in his eyes as Gadget had begged him to save his life, he felt a sudden wave of emotion cover him that was so strong it was almost overwhelming. He wasn't sure why he felt so involved with this man, but he knew he understood that Gadget was determined to live no matter the cost, because he wanted to be with his wife and children - and they were all that mattered to him...

Gears stepped up to the table and addressed his medical team:

"He's had his thermostat fail once before so I'm _not_ taking any chances. We're going to make a small incision in his side and feed a cable through and turn off the temperature regulator and put him on bypass. Then I'm going to open up his back and expose the entire length of the spine so that we can start laying the micro cables across the fibers. I'm going to need everything closely monitored while I inject the new cabling with living metal. We won't be going anywhere near the wiring that runs into brain tissue until the spine is totally repaired. When I do open up the back of the skull I'm using a hot knife that's depth sensitive to living metal, so there's less trauma to the patient and the skull will heal faster when I close it up... So we'll start by switching to manual temperature regulator and then I'm going to need a camera in there while the work to the cable is going on – I'm also fixing some internal wiring that's broken between the lower spine and the pelvis, so as soon as that part is done we can take out the connecting pipe that's fixed by his hip – I want that re-cut into sections to use to hold the reinforced spinal cable together at strategic points to ensure it stays strong but flexible."

Then he looked around at his team.

"Any questions?"

As they looked back at him and some of them shook their heads Gears smiled as he thought about how long he had worked with his scientists- they were all very capable people and he had faith in them, too.

"Good." He said, "Let's get started - and hopefully, sixteen hours from now Inspector Gadget will be out of surgery and looking forward to getting his life back."

And then he selected a scalpel from a nearby tray of instruments and prepared to make the first incision that would start the long process of repairing Gadget's body.

* * *

Taylor didn't remember much about what had happened after he sobbed in Magnet's arms.

Everything had become a blur as Magnet had led him away from the lab and down the corridors, but now he was sitting in his room again and as he sat on the couch that was right beside a wide window, he watched as silver fish darted in dark water and thought again about his best friend.

"_I just want him to get through this, I want him be okay."_

Taylor sounded on the brink of tears again and Magnet said nothing as he sat beside his brother; this was the first time Taylor had spoken since he had left Gadget in the lab.

Then Taylor spoke again.

"I'd change places with him if I could - I'd rather it was me in there, I'd take on all his pain for him if there was a way – I'd take it all so he could be okay and go home to Penny and the kids."

Now he was looking at his brother.

Magnet finally spoke up as he hoped there was some remote chance he could talk some sense into him.

"You _can't_ change places with him. And even if you could – what good would that do? Gadget would be sat here worried sick about you and Delia would be sobbing her heart out to think that her Taylor was so sick –"

"_Delia?"_

Taylor stared at him.

"She's not my wife any more. Delia's dead! My wife is Evie. I have two kids with her, two beautiful baby boys. My sons are called James and Oliver- we gave Ollie the middle name Raymond after you, after the brother who I thought I'd lost! At the time it seemed like such a nice thing to do... but you're _not_ dead..."

Anger and confusion clouded his eyes but only briefly as he thought again about Gadget and blinked away tears.

"You don't know anything, Magnet. You've been gone away too long –I'm Gadget's Deputy. I also teach at the local school, that's where I met Evie. I have a wife and kids and a whole new life and you've missed it all! And that man who's fighting for his life on the operating table is my _best friend!_"

Tears were running down Taylor's face.

_"You don't know how much I care about Gadget, you don't now what it's like to be close to anyone –"_

"Yes I do, Gears is my best friend." Magnet replied,"And I couldn't imagine a world without him in it. He almost died nearly three years ago when that bitch that runs Neurotech had him shot. So I _do_ know how you feel."

Then Taylor gave another sob and Magnet put his arms around him and held on to his brother, letting him cry as he said nothing more, because he _did_ understand and he knew at a time like this, there were no words that could bring Taylor Braydon any comfort.

After a brief time Taylor stopped sobbing. He straightened up and shifted back from his brother and wiped his eyes.

"I have to be strong. When Gadget comes out of surgery he's going to need me, I can't be in a mess like this."

Magnet nodded.

"You're right, Bro. You need to be strong for him."

And then Magnet smiled as he shifted the conversation onto lighter subjects to distract Taylor from his worries.

"Got any pictures of your wife?"

"Sure." Taylor replied, taking out his cell phone and noticing he had several missed calls from Evie as he accessed photos.

He found a shot of Evie smiling into the camera, the sunlight was catching on her hair bringing out streaks of light like spun gold as her eyes sparkled behind the lenses of glasses that framed her eyes so well.

"She's pretty!" Taylor said proudly.

"Hmmm..." Magnet replied, "I guess so...not my type, though..."

Taylor's eyes widened in surprise.

"You don't think she's beautiful?"

And Magnet chuckled.

"_Way_ too young for me, Bro. That's what me and Gears have in common – we like our women like we prefer our wine..._vintage!_"

"What?" Taylor said blankly.

"_We prefer older women."_

Taylor looked at him.

"What?" He said again.

Magnet smiled as he shook is head.

"You haven't changed, Taylor. Let me explain: We like our women much older. It's just the way we are. It's our thing, like your thing is robotics – I remember when I was a kid you used to hide those cybernetics magazines under your bed like a porn stash!"

And Taylor blushed.

"To me, they _were_ my porn stash!" He exclaimed.

Magnet laughed.

"I remember once Mom was cleaning your room and she found them under the bed- she got 'em out, looked through 'em and then said to me, Raymond...you'll never guess what – I think Taylor wants to be a scientist!"

Taylor was still blushing.

"I never used those magazines for _scientific_ purposes!"

And both men laughed.

"Want to see my dream girl?" Magnet asked him.

That remark had made Taylor curious.

"Okay..."

And Magnet partly unbuttoned his shirt and slipped it off his shoulder.

"There she is." He said warmly, "That's what I _call_ a woman!"

And Taylor stared at the tattoo on his upper arm, it was a picture of a woman whose curves were exaggerated, she stood there in high heels wearing nothing but a black lace thong and a peephole bra.

Taylor was _still_ staring.

"What do you think?" Magnet asked him.

"Um...yeah..." Taylor said, "I...I can't say I like it too much, she looks like..."

He winced.

"_Mayor Wilson!"_

"It _IS_ Mayor Wilson! Magnet said excitedly, "Oh, she's such a foxy lady! I would _love_ to get lucky with her..."

Taylor recalled his own experience of being pounced on so long ago when he had approached the Mayor about the possibility of becoming a crime fighter. That had been a night he would never forget...it was etched into his memories along with all the other less that pleasant experiences he remembered, but wished he could lose.

"Well that's no challenge at all!" Taylor remarked, "Just walk in her direction, look her in the eye for more than three seconds – or just smile at her. That's _all_ it takes!"

And Taylor looked at his brother and smiled as he shook his head.

"Mayor Wilson? Okay, I can accept that you and Gears have a thing for older women – but _Mayor Wilson?_ Some people sure do have strange fetishes..."

And then Magnet laughed.

"Oh that's rich, coming from a guy who gets excited over cybernetics!"

And Taylor blushed slightly.

"You wouldn't get it." He said quietly.

"I guess I wouldn't understand it any more than you'd get why I'm crazy about the Mayor." Magnet replied.

Then his smile faded as he thought about everything that had happened in Taylor's life in his absence.

"So...um...I hope it's okay to ask this, but how come you became a cyborg, Taylor?"

He answered right away and as he spoke a haunted look darkened his eyes.

"The Riverton bomber tried to kill me. Delia, my wife. _She was the Riverton Bomber_."

And on hearing that Magnet wanted to hug his brother again, but instead he held back from it as he looked into his eyes.

"I'm so sorry." He told him, "That must have terrible to live with."

Taylor shrugged.

"You know me; I don't think about anything too much. And now I've got Evie and the kids and I'm happy, that's all that matters now – and Gadget, I want Gadget to be okay, then I _know_ I'll be happy again."

And Taylor picked up his cell phone again and accessed videos.

"Let me show you something...this was at Christmas time..."

And he played the movie, watching as the scene unfolded in the kitchen of his mansion:

_Evie was feeding Jimmy. Gadget was feeding Ollie, holding him carefully in his arms as the baby drank his milk._

"_He's getting sleepy." Gadget remarked, "I think he's almost had the whole bottle, too..."_

_And Taylor watched as Evie left the room to settle Jimmy down for a nap._

_Gadget looked into the camera and smiled._

"_Are you going to be filming me on that thing all afternoon, Taylor?"_

_And Taylor's voice came from behind the lens:_

"_You bet I will! I love seeing Uncle Gadget and the Taylor Tots...You're so good with kids, Gadget."_

_And Gadget looked into the camera as he smiled._

"_I should be, I've got enough of my own!" _

_And as Ollie finished drinking his milk Gadget smiled down at him._

"_Hi Ollie, it's me...your Uncle Gadget..."_

_And as Taylor's son smiled up at him, Gadget's own smile faded as pain registered on his face. Evie had come back into the room and he quickly handed her the baby._

"_Sorry," He said, "It's my stupid back again. I need to sit down."_

_As he sat down heavily on the couch, Taylor heard his own worried voice in the background:_

"_Are you okay, Gadget?"_

_And Gadget looked up at the camera and smiled._

"_It's nothing, Taylor! Quit worrying about me, I'm fine. Let's enjoy ourselves, it's Christmas!"_

Taylor turned off the video and put the phone down feeling tearful all over again.

"I forgot about that – I didn't know his back was hurting even at Christmas! It's been going on all this time and we never knew how serious it was! He used to go to Lula for scans because it got so painful, he used to try and hide it from Chief Quimby because he thought he might lose his job over it... but he thought it was nothing serious...we all did..."

Taylor was becoming even more tearful.

Magnet gave his hand a brief squeeze.

"No one could have known this would happen. And Gears is good surgeon - he _will_ fix him, you have to believe that."

"I'm trying to believe it." Taylor said quietly, "Because it's the only hope I've got left."

Then Taylor fell silent as his gaze shifted to the dark window where silver fishes slipped about the river in mindless silence.

Magnet stayed by his brother's side, determined that Taylor would not have to face this long and difficult wait on his own.

* * *

_Gadget's vital signs were holding steady._

Gears had closely watched the monitors through out every stage of the procedure as he had put him onto thermostat bypass and then opened up his back.

Now his spinal cable was completely exposed and strengthened by the micro fine rods that ran along every fiber, it shone like a mirror as the newly injected living metal slipped along the rods and sealed in the fibers and made the new join with the old, fixing every break and crack in the network.

Gears had lost track of the time as he worked on his patient, but he knew the task was far from over.

He leaned closer to the magnified screen above Gadget's upper back and carefully pushed the needle through the rod and stopped partway above the final fiber, then injected the last of the living metal to cover the spine.

He watched as the silver slid upwards, finishing off the coating that now covered his fortified spine all the way up to his neck.

Then he moved the equipment aside and watched as Gadget's artificial spine shimmered and shifted like a snake as his colleagues finished sealing the fibers into place with rings made of the re-used pipe.

"Coat the seals with living metal." Gears instructed, "Work your way up slowly, I'm going to open up the skull now."

Gears carefully adjusted the table as one of his colleagues switched on another light and shifted a scanner closer and turned it on.

The monitor lit up and showed the wiring that came up through the base of his skull and branched out into his brain.

"Some of those wires go deep." Gears said, then he picked up a scalpel and began to slowly and carefully cut behind Gadget's hairline, as the scalpel slid through synthetic flesh he drew it down and then up the other side, and took hold of the back of his scalp and peeled it upwards. As blood and oil were cleaned away and his skull infused with living metal was exposed under the bright lights, Gears looked again at the screen of the scanner.

"Are his vitals holding steady?" He asked, and as he heard the confirmation that they were, he reached for the heated knife and switched it on.

"I'm going to remove a larger section of skull that I first planned." He explained, "Because there's a chance he could bleed when I go in deep and if he does I need to seal off that bleed as soon as it starts, so I need more room to work. Hopefully all it will mean to Gadget is a bigger scar underneath his hairline...I'm trying to avoid brain damage as much as I can."

And he left the heated knife for a moment and picked up another, ordinary scalpel and carefully cut Gadget's scalp back a little further.

Then as more blood was cleaned away, Gears activated the heated knife and slowly applied it to the surface of his skull, watching as the lights indicated when to cut, and how deep to go.

The blade connected with the living metal and sank into the metal infused bone with the ease of a hot knife slipping through butter. Gears carefully cut around the back of Gadget's head and then switched off the knife.

He handed it to a colleague who took it away, then he carefully pushed against the metal coated bone and lifted it free.

He placed the bone in a large tray at the side of the table and watched as blood and oil and other substances were cleaned away, revealing a large section of brain tissue.

"I need the thinnest micro fine hollow needles we have." He stated, "But test them _first_, I can't risk the metal getting clogged when I inject, I'm going to start at the top of each wire and inject through the brain tissue and then see if one needle is enough for each wire. This is a _very_ slow process because I have to avoid blood vessels – he's got a lot of human tissue in here and this is where things get extremely difficult..."

And then Gears studied the scan of his patient's brain as he waited to be handed the first of the needles.

* * *

_Taylor had been sleeping._

He didn't know how long for, but as he looked out of the window and blinked sleepy eyes at the fishes beyond the glass, he realised the sun's morning rays were filtering though the water.

"Is it morning?"

He looked at his brother, who had been awake for more than an hour and as Magnet got up and stretched, he checked his pocket watch.

"It's seven in the morning. I'd say Gadget could be out of surgery by noon."

Taylor's eyes grew wider.

He jumped off the bed and ran his fingers though his messed up hair.

"I need to call Evie! And what will I say to Penny? The girls must be out of their mind with worry..."

Then more panic gripped him.

"And is Gadget okay? How could I have fallen asleep at a time like this?"

Magnet put his hand on his brother's shoulder and looked into his eyes.

"Taylor," He stated calmly, "_Nothing_ has happened to Gadget. If there was a problem, Gears would have had you informed right away. No news is good news."

Then Magnet took a cell phone from his pocket.

"Call your wife. Tell her Gadget found a doctor who could help him and he's having treatment right now and so far it's going well. Tell her you're sorry you didn't call before but Gadget was taken ill and things moved fast. She'll understand."

"What about Penny?"

Magnet pushed the phone into his had.

"Just call your own wife first. And use my phone because it's untraceable; we can't have everyone knowing about Amaryllis, this research base is secret. Make sure she knows you're okay and then hang up and call Penny. Tell her the same thing you told Evie."

Taylor nodded.

"Thanks." He said, feeling grateful for his brother's advice, "You make it sound so easy – I was sure I was going to mess up, I didn't know what to say..."

"Just call her." Magnet repeated.

Then he stood and watched as Taylor entered Evie's number.

The phone barely rang before she snatched it up

"Taylor!" She exclaimed anxiously, _"Where the hell are you? How could you just go off like that and not call? And Penny's beside herself with worry over Gadget, too! Have you forgotten he's sick, he needs to be at home resting?"_

Taylor took a deep breath.

"Evie, please listen – I'm _with_ Gadget. He went to see a specialist who can help him. But he got very sick and they had to operate right away. So far he's doing well. This isn't some quick fix to buy him some time, it's a proper cure."

There was a silence on the end of the phone as Evie took in all he said.

When she spoke again her voice was hushed.

"But Lula is the _only_ one who can help him."

"No, there's another way. He's getting his spine strengthened and his internal wiring fixed up. Please don't worry – and please believe me when I say he's in the best possible place right now."

And then his heart ached as he thought of Evie and his kids.

"I can't come home until Gadget's well enough to leave; I promised him that before the surgery. I'm staying here for him as long as it takes. Kiss the Taylor Tots for me, I love you million billion times over. And I _have_ to go now, Evie."

And he hung up quickly, before she could ask him questions he knew he couldn't answer.

Then Taylor quickly put in Penny's number.

The phone rang and rang.

Taylor looked anxiously at his brother.

"She's going to cry."

"Just tell her what I told you to say." Magnet replied calmly, "Soon she'll be able to speak to Gadget herself and then she'll be happy again, remember that."

Taylor nodded.

The phone rang some more and then Penny answered the call.

"_Gadget?"_ She sounded frantic with worry.

"No it's Taylor." He explained, "Gadget's with a specialist who can help him."

Penny sounded tearful now.

"He's been gone all night! What's happened, why is he not home, Taylor?"

"_Because he collapsed and they had to operate."_

Now Penny was crying and hearing her so distraught made him feel lousy, he felt like he had made her cry simply by telling her the truth.

Penny –_please_ listen; Gadget's having the best possible care. He stands every chance of getting through this and it's a _cure_, it's a cure that can save his life! I'm sorry I can't tell you more but we're at a secret location, it's a research base. I'll explain everything later. Just please trust me, he's getting help here."

"Don't hang up on me Taylor!" She sobbed.

Taylor looked at his brother and shook his head and Magnet knew by the look in his eyes that he would not be hanging up on Penny while she was sobbing like that.

"Okay, listen – I'll stay on the line for a little while, but I can't do it forever. I need to go and see how Gadget's doing. So far he's getting through everything okay. That's the best we can hope for. I can't tell you any more because I don't know anything else yet."

Penny gave another sob.

"What did he say before the surgery?" She demanded tearfully.

Taylor frowned as he tried to think back.

"Well...he said he was so tired..."

"No, Taylor! What did he say about _me?_"

"He said he wanted to have the surgery so he could stay with you and the kids. He's taking this chance because he loves you. But he started getting sick and he had to have the operation right away, if it hadn't happened like that he would have called you. He told me he wanted to call you!"

Penny's voice was still tearful as she asked him a question.

"But what did he want to say to _me?_ Didn't he leave me a message? Didn't he tell you to say _anything_ to me?"

Taylor knew if he was truthful it wouldn't be enough at a time like this; Penny needed something to cling to, so he gave it to her.

"Um... yeah. He...he _did_ say something. _He said, tell Penny I love her. Tell her I love her with all my heart and I'll be home real soon_."

And then Taylor heard soft weeping on the end of the phone.

"Tell him I love him too." She said, "Tell him I want to speak to him as soon as he's awake, I want to come and see him!"

"I'll do that." Taylor promised her, "Now I _have_ to go. I will call you as soon as I get some news."

And Taylor ended the call, breathing a huge sigh as he felt relieved to be off the line and handing that phone back to his brother.

"That was difficult." He said honestly, "I never want to have to make a call like that again my life!"

Magnet patted his shoulder.

"You did good." He promised him, "That was hard to handle but you did it. I'm proud of you. I couldn't have done that as well as you did."

And Taylor looked into his brother's eyes and managed a smile.

"Thanks" He said, "I appreciate that."

Magnet gestured to his arm.

"How is it this morning?"

Taylor cautiously moved his arm.

"It's okay."

Then there was a knock on the door and Carla came in.

"Gears is still with Gadget. The surgery is going very well and he said to let you know as soon as he's recovering he can come back here to rest. Gears wants to keep him in a guest room because he thinks it will help him to get better quicker than if he's stuck in the lab, he wants him to have a comfortable environment where he can relax."

"You can stay with me." Magnet said to his brother, "I'm only up the hall –"

"No, I'll stay here, I'll take the couch." Taylor replied, "I told him I wouldn't leave him and I meant that."

"Well I'm sure your closeness will only help to make him feel more relaxed." Carla said.

Then she carried an ornate mirror into the room and placed it on the large dresser on the other side of the room, then she put a large open sea shell at its left corner. At its right she placed a small candle in a heavy glass container and as she lit the flame she stood back and watched it flicker.

"It's quite safe." She told Taylor, "And these candles burn for a very long time."

Then she placed a decorated metal box in the middle of the table and turned away from it again.

"I'm going to get you both some breakfast now." She stated.

"I can't face eating." Taylor told her, "I'm too worried right now."

"And you need to stay strong for your friend." Carla reminded him, "I'll go and get that breakfast for you."

As she left the room, Taylor looked over at the dresser, with the burning candle and the sea shell and the empty box.

"She sure picked a weird time to make the dresser look pretty." He remarked.

Magnet smiled and shook his head.

"You know nothing of our culture." He remarked, "But you'll understand soon enough."

And then he looked down at Taylor's healing arm.

"Let me change that dressing for you, I've got time before Carla comes back with the food."

Taylor hesitated.

"It can wait."

"Don't you trust me to do this for you?" Magnet asked him.

Taylor nodded.

"Okay, go ahead- it needs to come off anyway, it's itching – I think I'm almost healed."

And then he held his arm out, letting Magnet carefully peel off the dressing.

As he took care of his wound neither man thought about it, but things were _definitely_ changing now – they had started off badly, but now a bridge was slowly being built...

* * *

Gears was feeling tired but giving no thought to his own needs as he slowly pushed the needle into exposed brain tissue, checking with every fraction of pressure from the needle's point that it was hitting wire and nothing else. He slowly injected the liquid metal, drawing the needle out of Gadget's brain as he watched the image on the scanner and saw another wire instantly coat with the living metal that would cure his patient.

He disposed of the needle and was handed another.

Gears looked back at the screen and then put the needle down on the tray, reaching instead for a thin, heated wire as the image on the scanner began to cloud dark as blood leaked deep in Gadget's brain.

"He's got a bleed." He said, taking in a sharp breath as he fixed his gaze on the screen and moved the wire down through tissue as he let the scanner guide him. The hot wire touched at the point of injury and the bleeding stopped.

"_Please don't build up..."_ He said under his breath, _"He doesn't need any more pressure in there..."_

Then he drew the wire out, and the blood leaked with it, running over the surface of his brain. Gears let out a relieved sigh.

"That was close..."

And he glanced at one of his colleagues.

"Has the swelling increased significantly?"

"No," She replied, "It's staying constant in line with the injections; if he stays like this we can replace the skull in two to three hours by my estimate."

"That sounds just about right to me too." Gears replied.

Then he picked up a hypodermic loaded with living metal and let the needle's point hover over the exposed brain tissue as he cautiously watched the scanner.

"As soon as the last shot's in there I want him pumped with meds to keep him stable –I've worked out what he needs and the IV's ready."

And he looked at a colleague who was starting the long procedure of sewing up Gadget's back.

"Make sure the sutures are tight – the synthetic skin will bond but much slower because of the donor metal so he's going to need a _lot_ of needlework to help things along."

And then Gears pushed the thin needle slowly and deeply into brain tissue one last time, watching the screen as the hollow tip met the end of the final wire. The wire shone like chrome as the living metal coated it. Then as he drew it out he looked at the scanner again and switched the imagery down a few sizes, seeing the whole of his spine and the wires in side his head shining silver and safely coated and unbreakable.

Gears checked the time.

"I'm going to stay right here and keep him monitored." He said, "As long as he stays stable and the swelling to the brain doesn't increase, I can then close the skull."

And Gears looked around at his team and smiled.

"We've just saved this mans life." He said proudly, "Praise Lazarus, he works through all of us."

And some of his colleagues nodded in agreement, whilst others said _Amen_, and then they continued to work to close up Gadget's back.

* * *

Breakfast had looked good to Taylor, he had tried to eat eggs and some toast but eventually he had shoved his plate aside and drank the coffee instead.

"You don't want that?" Magnet asked, his words partly muffled by a mouthful of half chewed food. Taylor shook his head.

"I can't eat much I'm too worried about Gadget."

"Okay." His brother replied, taking the plate and scraping off the food onto his own breakfast.

"I never like to see food go to waste!" He exclaimed, and then grabbed his fork and dug into the mountain of food.

Taylor got up from the table and walked over to the window.

He looked out at the river bed; as sunlight filtered through down into the depths making the waves look reflective and the fish shimmer silver as they slid along with the current, he gave a sigh.

His thoughts were firmly with Gadget.

Nothing could shift his concerns away from his best friend.

_"Taylor..."_

He turned sharply.

Gears was standing in the open door way. He looked tired, but also relieved and he quickly explained, putting Taylor out of his misery once and for all:

"Gadget got through the surgery. I fixed his spine and the wires that run into the brain and everything is fortified and he will not have problems with the cable again. I've just been waiting to make sure he was stable enough for me to close him up and he was, so I've closed him up and he's recovering and in a little while I'll have him brought down here so that he can rest in more tranquil surroundings. He's been through brain and spinal procedures and he's on a lot of drugs both cybernetic and human and he needs _total_ rest. But he's made it, Taylor. _I fixed your friend_."

Taylor stared at him.

Then his eyes filled with tears, then his arms were around Gears and he was hugging him tightly and kissing his cheek as he wept tears of joy.

"I told you he would be okay!" Magnet added, feeling happy to see his big brother so overjoyed.

But Gears gently prised off Taylor's grip and stepped back a little.

"Don't start celebrating yet, Taylor." He said, _"There's more."_

And Taylor's smile faded.

"No...Don't tell me something went wrong, please!"

Gears explained calmly and hoped Taylor would take the news equally so.

"The surgery was a success, the cable is fixed and everything is fortified and that will last a lifetime."

Taylor felt panic rising inside him as he saw the serious look on Gear's face.

"But what else?" He said in a hushed voice, "What's the _bad_ news?"

"I think you'd better sit down to hear this." Gears told him

Taylor stood his ground as he looked at him.

"No I just want to know –"

"Calm down, Bro, listen to Gears."

Taylor glared at his brother.

"Keep out of this, you _don't_ know how much Gadget means to me!"

And he looked back at Gears, desperate to know the truth.

_"What's the bad news?"_ He repeated.

Gears tried to tell him as gently as he could, but he knew there could be no easy way to say this:

"Gadget's surgery was a complete success - but he's had some complications - _and this will affect him for the rest of his life_..."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Taylor was getting worked up as he looked at Gears.

"You'd better explain yourself because you said to me he was okay! You said he was _fixed__!_"

Magnet heard the accusing tone in Taylor's voice and hoped things were not about to get out of hand – _Taylor was an emotional guy who got strung out quite easily and he'd been through a lot with the worry over his best friend..._

"Just calm down, Taylor." He said quietly, "Let Gears explain."

Gears ran his fingers through his hair and looked at Taylor with tired eyes.

"I've been almost fourteen hours working on Inspector Gadget. I'm tired and I want to get some sleep, Taylor... He's made it, the problem he had is _gone_ – but he's going to have some minor problems, it's inevitable after this kind of surgery! He had a minor bleed while I was injecting the wiring that runs into his brain. The damage won't be major; it will be relatively small and will most likely cause minor problems but I can't predict what it will be until he recovers. And his recovery will take longer than usual for a cyborg, because of the donor metal."

Taylor's eyes clouded with worry.

"So you don't know what kind of problems he will have, can't you even tell me what it _could_ be?"

"Due to the positioning of the bleed and the wire that corresponded to it, I'd say he _might_ have a few glitches with his gadget mode."

Taylor stared at him.

And then he laughed.

_"Glitches? Is that all?"_

Gears nodded.

"That's the most likely scenario but as I said I don't want to say this is definite..."

Tears of relief sprang to Taylor's eyes.

"He's had problems like that on and off ever since he became Inspector Gadget, that's no big deal at all!"

And then he breathed a sigh of relief as he looked at his brother.

"He's going to be okay...Gadget's going to be just fine..."

Gears checked the time.

"I'm going to have Gadget brought down here to recover and then I'm going to bed." He stated, "I'm exhausted."

"_Thank you Gears."_

Taylor's tone had changed now to one of gratitude.

"_Thank you for saving him."_

"I'll give him a few hours to rest and when he's more aware of what's going on I'll explain everything." Gears replied, "He needs to understand he's been through a major procedure – he won't be able to do anything at all at first, not until the swelling to his spine and brain tissue subsides and everything heals and connecting pathways get up and running again. He won't be able to move or speak properly until that happens. So _don't_ be alarmed when you first see him - he's still recovering."

And Magnet looked at Gears and saw how tired he looked.

"I get it." He said, putting his arm around Taylor's shoulder, "You go and get some rest, Gears. I'll be here if Taylor needs any help with Gadget."

"Thanks." Gears replied, then he turned and walked away to arrange Gadget's transfer to the guest wing, so that he could finally leave his patient and get some much needed rest.

* * *

Gadget's mind was drifting as he slept on, he knew he was sleeping, he knew he was dreaming and yet he knew everything he saw was his own past, too:

But he wasn't dreaming about his life as Gadget, and that came as a relief because knew he couldn't force himself to wake and escape from this- and he felt sure he would have wanted to get out quickly if he had found himself in a dream about his battles with Claw...

But he wasn't dreaming about his life as Gadget.

_He was dreaming about his life as John Brown._

_Penny hadn't even come along yet._

_He wasn't anybody's Uncle Gadget._

_He was just John Brown._

_He wanted to be a cop, but for now he was working a security guard and dreaming of being a crime fighter..._

As he drove along the road he glanced in the mirror at his youthful face and smiled even though he missed the Gadget Mobile.

But that car hadn't even been built back then, he was living the past again, he was just John Brown and at a time in his life that held no bad memories at all...

The sunlight had faded out and given way to a warm evening sky that looked smoky as it darkened.

He was driving towards Riverton.

Then he knew he wasn't alone and he turned his head and felt as if he were looking at a ghost.

_"Thanks for the ride."_ She said, and she smiled at him.

He glanced at her and briefly smiled and turned his gaze back to the road, being young and shy and not the kind of guy to want to think too much about the way her long dark hair fell past her shoulders or the way her short skirt clung to her thighs.

_He had not had much experience with women._

"Well I couldn't leave you stranded on the side of the road." He said as he drove along, "It's not safe to walk in the dark, not for a lady all on her own...I'll take you into the town...is that far enough?"

And she had smiled at him.

"I guess that will have to where I get out...my sister didn't know I was coming and she's not back from vacation until tomorrow..."

_John had made a decision._

_He had never regretted that decision._

It was something he had never talked about the way some guys liked to brag about their sex lives – he had picked her up with every honourable intention of helping her out, but later on, back at his place, she had kissed him and as that coffee in his front room had turned into sex on the sofa and then kissing in the hallway as he led her into the bedroom, then he had taken her in his arms and made love to her again.

_Her name was Beth._

She was younger than him by a couple of years and she led him all the way and kissed away his shyness and his uncertainty and he had held her all night, feeling sure that this was real love.

He had told her he loved her, and she had said nothing in reply.

Then he blinked and opened his eyes, knowing he was still dreaming but not minding one little bit; he had just remembered a good night, more than that, a great night – _the night he'd lost his virginity..._

Then John Brown turned over and reached for her and found an empty space beside him.

He found a note folded on his pillow that simply said, _Thanks honey – sorry I have to leave early, have to find my Sis –xx _

_And he had never seen her again..._

John lay back on the bed and thought of what might have been and knew he was alone once more.

Then he remembered this was a dream of the past and he had to be glad he was back here, even if it meant he was alone – he was young and his body was still human, he was yet to be involved in the explosion that turned him into a machine.

_He thought of the future._

Love was something that wouldn't reach him truly until Penny was a grown woman, until he was much older...but it would be worth the wait, because she was everything to him, and for now, while he dreamed, he could at least enjoy being human again...

He turned his head and caught sight of his reflection in the mirror:

_He was young again._

He pushed down the sheets and ran his hands down his human chest.

There were no micro chips, no wires...

_He was totally human..._

John Brown smiled at his youthful reflection.

_And then his smile faded as tears came to his eyes and he knew he could never be happy in this dream of the past even if it gave him back all he had lost, because he just wanted to go home again..._

* * *

Taylor had kept out of the way as Gadget was brought into the room and put to bed, he had waited outside with Magnet until Gadget was comfortable. Magnet had offered to stay but Taylor had shaken his head and told him he would be fine; he just wanted to take care of Gadget...

Now he was sitting on the edge of the bed and as a tear ran from Gadget's eye as he slept, Taylor brushed it away.

"What are you dreaming about?" He said softly, "Please don't cry, Gadget... it's over now..."

And then Taylor blinked away his own tears:

It had been a shock to see Gadget after the surgery; he hadn't expected him to look the way he did:

His hair had been cut short enough for the scar to show that ran around the back of his head.

The upper parts of the scar had already closed up thanks to his synthetic skin, but the sides of his head had been stapled to encourage the wound to heal. Gadget had small metal plate fixed to the base of his skull now and the skin around it looked severely bruised. That bruising spread down the back of his neck and even reached to his shoulders.

Gadget had an ice pack at the back of his head to ease the pain of the living metal in his skull fusing back together. He had a huge scar that ran the length of his spine and that scar was held together with stitching to speed up the healing. Gadget was hooked up to an IV that contained all the medication he needed to aid his recovery.

He was still between sleeping and waking and his eyes briefly opened and closed again but he didn't notice anything around him, not even that his best friend was by his side...

Gadget looked pale and weak and Taylor wanted to cry all over again, but he tried his best to hold it back because he wanted to be strong for him, although it was difficult, because Gadget looked terrible.

_"You're going to be okay."_ Taylor whispered, and leaned closer and kissed his cheek.

And Gadget slowly dragged his eyes open and the world came into focus:

_He knew he wasn't dreaming about being John Brown any more._

This was reality - he was Gadget, he was much older and his body was half machine and he had just come through surgery to repair his faulty spinal cable. _He was older now and he was a cyborg and that dream about his youth was gone, just like his youth and his life as John Brown were also gone..._

_But at least Taylor was here._

He looked up at him and knew it would be hard even to speak because he felt as if nothing in his rebuilt body was working yet, the pathways hadn't kicked in, he knew it because he couldn't move.

"_Taylor...I'm..."_

Gadget closed his eyes as he searched for the words and tried to drag them out, it was like every little thing he did took forever and it frustrated him but he knew he couldn't fight it.

"_I'm...okay..."_ He murmured.

And Taylor smiled, then he cried softly as he leaned over him and kissed his cheek again.

"Yes, you're going to be okay." He said gently as he stroked his hair, "You just need to rest, Gadget. Close your eyes and rest, you have to take things very easy..."

"_But I..."_ Gadget focussed on Taylor. _"I...want...to...to...go..."_

"Home?" Taylor guessed, "No Gadget, not yet. Just close your eyes, go back to sleep, you have to rest to get better."

And Taylor was stroking his hair again and the ice pack against the back of his head chased away the pain from his healing metal bones and Gadget closed his eyes again, gave a sigh and drifted back into a restful sleep.

* * *

_Taylor didn't move from Gadget's side._

He sat there close to him, holding his hand and watching him sleep.

As the time slowly passed by, he noticed some of the minor bruising to Gadget's shoulder was fading, although the deep bruising around the small plate fixed to the base of his skull stayed dark and swollen. Gears had been right; he _was_ healing – but much slower than the rapid kind of pace that a cyborg usually healed.

Taylor gently ran his had over his hair and smiled.

"You'll look okay when the scars heal." He said softly, "And you didn't even lose all your hair – Gears only cut some of it so he could close you up, that won't notice at all in a months time, all the scars will be hidden. You'll look just like Gadget again."

And Gadget slept on easily and as he saw the peaceful expression on his face, Taylor knew the pain was leaving him now.

"You'll be out of here soon and home to Penny." He told him, "As soon as you can talk a little better I'll get the phone and you can call her, then she won't worry any more."

And as Gadget slept on, Taylor kept hold of his hand.

"I told you I wouldn't leave you." He whispered, "And I won't, Gadget. I'm right here for you."

Then the door opened.

Taylor stared as two men came into the room, guys he recognised from the Sea Dragon.

They both went over to the dresser and one set a belt buckle down on the table.

Taylor let go of Gadget's hand and glared at the two men.

"Hey – what do you think you're doing? You can't just come in here and dump your stuff! Gadget's sick, he needs his rest –"

Then Taylor fell silent as the other man took money from his pocket and placed it inside the decorated box.

Then both men fixed their gaze on the pattern set at the top of the mirror- an engraving of three clockwork wheels that locked together - and they both bowed respectfully and then left the room.

_"What was all that about?"_ He wondered.

Then just as they had left, Carla came into the room.

She looked at Gadget as he slept and she thought about all he had been through and compassion shone in her eyes.

"How is he?" She said quietly.

"He's sleeping a lot better." Taylor said, "I think the pain's easing off. The bruises are definitely fading. But he's still weak and he's very tired."

"And Gears has got him on a _lot_ of meds." She added, "That won't be forever- he's just making sure he doesn't have any complications."

Then she walked over to the dresser.

She reached for a small beaded necklace she was wearing that matched her peach colored dress, then she changed her mind as she glanced back at Gadget, and slipped a glittering diamond and sapphire ring from her finger, and placed it in the open sea shell before bowing to the decorated mirror and stepping back again.

As she turned around, Taylor stared at her.

"What's with dumping the stuff on the table? Two guys just came in and left things too...I don't get it!"

Carla kept her voice low because Gadget was still sleeping.

"We have our own customs." She explained," When someone is very sick, we set up a table where everyone can leave a gift. It's a gesture to show the sick person that we wish them well – and to show Lazarus that we believe caring for others is more important than material possessions."

"That's really nice!" Taylor exclaimed.

Carla smiled.

"You'd be surprised at the kind of stuff some people give - I just surprised myself giving my sapphire - but I really want him to get well. When he's recovered he can keep all his gifts."

Taylor's eyes lit up.

"Penny's gonna _love_ your diamond ring!" He exclaimed, "Have you got any more that you want to get rid of, because maybe _I _should have one of those _present tables_ too –"

And he indicated to his healing arm and looked at her with the expression Evie called his puppy dog eyes.

"_I'm hurting too..." _He added hopefully.

Carla smiled and shook her head.

"Sorry, you have to be _really _sick to get an honor like this, Taylor. It's _only_ for Inspector Gadget."

Then there was a tap against the open door.

Taylor turned to see a young woman in her late teens standing there; her dark hair framed her face in a spiral of curls and her long dress of green velvet and lace shimmered as it caught the soft lighting from the wall lamps that lit the guest room.

She stood there silently and smiled.

"Ivy!" Carla said warmly, "Its okay, you can come in...have you got something for Inspector Gadget?"

Ivy nodded.

She walked over to his bedside and gently ran her hand down his arm as she studied his face while he slept, then she briefly kissed his cheek.

Taylor stared at her.

"Don't kiss him...you don't even _know_ him..."

Carla felt bemused at Taylor's defensive reaction.

"She's just showing that she cares. I think she likes him, too."

Taylor kept a firm hold on Gadget's hand.

"I don't care how much she likes him – he doesn't even _know_ her!"

Ivy looked at Carla.

"May I pray for him?"

Carla nodded.

"Of course you can." She told her.

Then as Ivy approached the table and took off a sea green bangle and placed it in the sea shell, Carla turned back to Taylor.

"Ivy is special. She's gifted; she's going to be the Head Minister of the First Church of Lazarus. It's being built in cyborg city. When the building is complete, we are all returning to the surface."

Taylor looked confused as he watched the young woman bow before the symbols on the mirror.

"But she's so young for such a big job!"

"She's gifted. Lazarus lets his power work through her."

Taylor stared at her.

"What?"

"She's gifted." Carla repeated.

"What?" Taylor said again as he looked at her cluelessly.

"Just watch and you'll understand."

Ivy walked over to the bed and gently swept her hand over Gadget's hair.

"What are you doing?" Taylor said nervously, but Carla gently closed her fingers over Taylor's wrist and prised his grip away from Gadget's hand.

_"Just watch."_ She said quietly.

Ivy swept her hand gently over the back of Gadget's head.

He gave a sigh and turned his head as he slept, exposing the bruising at the back of his skull where the metal plate had been fixed to boost power to his internal wiring.

Ivy gently placed her fingertips on the swollen, bruised skin around the plate and stared to murmur a prayer to Lazarus.

Taylor's eyes grew wider as the bruising seemed to lift away at her touch, as she stopped speaking and took her hand away from the back of his head, the bruising faded and the swelling was gone. He wasn't completely healed but the worst of the pain had been lifted, helping to speed up his healing process.

Ivy turned her head and smiled at Taylor.

"He's a good man." She said, "And Lazarus watches over him."

Taylor felt stunned to have witnessed such a miracle.

"Where are you from?" He said in a hushed voice.

Ivy fell silent and Carla spoke up and explained.

"Ivy attempted suicide in her previous life. Lazarus told Gears where to find her and he saved her and brought her back here. After her recovery she began to develop divine powers to help the sick and alleviate pain."

And Ivy held up her wrists:

The underside of both had been sealed with strips of living metal, and in the center of each strip was a small skeleton watch with brass workings that ticked softly.

_"Time is precious."_ Ivy stated, _"We must make the most of every moment. Life is not be wasted."_

Taylor just carried on staring at her as he began to wonder exactly how much could be true about Eddie Lazarus..._maybe he was more than an ordinary man after all..._

And then Ivy looked again at Gadget, watching him as he slept.

Then she smiled as she reached up for a green ribbon that was fixed in her hair.

She untied it and pulled it free, then carefully tied the ribbon in a small, neat bow around one of the brass posts of Gadget's bed.

Carla stared at her.

"Oh _no_, Ivy –I don't think Inspector Gadget will be able to accept _that_ – he's _not_ from our culture and he's very weak right now... couldn't you ask Magnet? Or even my husband?"

And Ivy shook her head.

Carla smiled.

"I don't mind." She told her, "It's perfectly fine if you choose him –"

"No." Ivy said quietly, "He doesn't favor me in that way and neither does Mr Magnet."

And then she looked kindly at Taylor.

"Lazarus will give him strength. Gadget will recover soon." She promised him, "Lay aside your worries, Taylor. May Lazarus make your life shine with his power."

And then she left the room.

"That was a nice thing to say!" Taylor exclaimed.

Then he looked at Carla with a puzzled expression on his face.

"What was she talking about, Magnet and Gears don't favor her?"

Carla kept her voice low as she explained:

"We have a different culture to the one you're used to." She reminded him, "And Ivy is nineteen and gifted and named as the minister of the new church for the Amaryllis Kindred. But an innocent can't take the job, because she will have to deal with all kinds of people who will not be innocent to this world."

Taylor looked at her blankly.

"What?"

"So in our culture it's acceptable for a man, even one who is married, to help her to qualify for being worldly enough to take on the position she is destined to take. But Gears and Magnet wouldn't look at her twice – they only prefer older women. Gears is so in love with me I doubt if he could perform the deed with anyone else – let alone a young woman, he just doesn't see younger women in a desirable light."

Taylor frowned.

_"What?"_ He said again.

Carla sighed and kept it simple, because she had come to the conclusion that so was Taylor Braydon:

"It's considered a great honor for a man to do this for our holy woman. Even a married man, his wife would _encourage_ him to do this for her! If she doesn't find someone to help her, the church will have no leader from the Kindred, there will only be leaders from the upper world, believers from cyborg city who will _not_ include our culture when the great church opens its doors."

Taylor was still frowning.

"And...What's this guy got to do for her?"

Carla's eyes widened; she couldn't believe Taylor still hadn't understood, so she said it plainly:

"Ivy has to lose her virginity. And she just tied her ribbon to Gadget's bed because she would like him to help her achieve this."

Taylor's eyes sparkled as he laughed.

"_Cool!"_ He said excitedly, _"Oh wow, what a job for Inspector Gadget, he's gotta pop the cherry of a hot girl!"_

Carla stared at him.

"This is _not_ a laughing matter, Taylor! It's up to Gadget if he wants to help her- he doesn't have to, I'm aware he's not from our culture and that he loves his wife every much – and he's recovering from a big surgical procedure, I would understand completely when he's feeling stronger if he says no to this. But it _is_ a serious matter Taylor. It's not something for you to get smutty about!"

And Taylor stopped laughing.

"_Um... Yeah...right..."_

Carla headed for the door.

"Gears is resting. As soon as he's awake he's coming over to see Gadget, he should be feeling much better by then."

"Okay." Taylor said, avoiding her gaze.

Then as she left the room he took hold of Gadget's hand and looked fondly at his sleeping friend.

"You won't _believe_ what Ivy wants you to do!" He said quietly as he laughed again, "Hurry up and wake up, Gadget, I want to see the look on your face when I tell you about it!"

And Gadget slept on, oblivious to the conversation that had just happened at his bedside.

* * *

Much later, Gadget opened his eyes after a sleep that had been dreamless.

He cautiously tried to move and felt mildly surprised that he could; his body was responding and he had no pain now, only a dull ache that ran the length of his spine. His head ached vaguely and his neck felt stiff.

He guessed if he had been treated in any other way the healing would have been almost complete by now, but it was slow compared to normal cyborg healing and he found it frustrating.

He tried to sit up and then someone caught him, putting a pillow behind him to support his back as he was pushed back down onto softness that cushioned him.

"No, you can't get up."

He blinked. It was Taylor.

"How...how long have I been..." He searched for the other word and found it..."Sleeping?"

As he spoke he realized his speech was coming back together; now he knew for sure he was healing well...

Taylor smiled.

"You look so much better and you're talking better too!" He said hopefully, "That's great, Gadget, you're getting stronger."

Gadget turned his head and his neck ached, but it was not unbearable.

"I want to call her...Penny. Let me –"

"Okay, I've got a phone right here - it's Magnet's phone. It's untraceable. You mustn't say where you are, just say you're in a secret research base. This place is _secret_, Gadget."

And Taylor keyed in Penny's number for him and then handed him the phone.

Gadget took it easily, even though he was aware his grip on it was a little weak.

It rang a couple of times and then Penny answered the call.

As she said _hello _his heart ached and tears stung his eyes and he took a deep breath, aware that while his wiring was healing, getting emotional wouldn't help his compromised speech at all.

"Penny? It's me, honey...I'm...getting better...I can't say much...wiring's kicking back in...I'm okay, I love you..."

Penny gave a sob but it was out of sheer relief.

_"Oh Gadget, thank God! I need to see you I want to be with you –"_

"I'm coming...home...soon I don't know...what...I mean..._when_...but...soon..._I love you_..."

As Gadget silently sobbed and the phone slipped from his grip, Taylor caught it using his free hand to grip Gadget's hand tightly to lend him strength he desperately needed.

"Gadget can't talk properly yet. His speech is coming back fast and he can move a little bit, he's sitting up in bed, he's recovering a _lot_ faster than he was expected to. He's seeing the doctor again today and he'll be able to tell us more about when Gadget can go home. He's fine, Penny. He's coming home really soon. I have to go now, okay?"

"I just want him home." Penny said tearfully.

"And he's coming home soon." Taylor promised, "Now I have to go, I'll call you later and Gadget can speak to you again."

Then Taylor quickly hung up and put the phone down, needing both hands free now as he sat on the edge of the bed and pulled Gadget into a gentle embrace. His best friend was still tearful, his emotions had spilled over uncontrollably as he had spoken to Penny for the first time since his surgery, it had just been too overwhelming for him.

"It's okay." Taylor said as he embraced him, "You're getting better, you can go home soon!"

And then he spotted the green ribbon tied to the bed post and he laughed.

"Oh and the new minister of the Kindred people needs to lose her virginity before she can take over their new church in Cyborg City... Guess who she wants to do the deed?"

Gadget had recovered from his crying now. As Taylor let him go and he settled back on the big soft pillows, he looked blankly at him.

Taylor was still smiling.

_"Go on, have a guess!"_

Gadget blinked.

"Her virginity? She wants someone to...who has...has she... chosen?"

Despite his compromised speech, Gadget was curious now as he saw that sparkle hadn't left Taylor's eyes.

He made a wild guess.

"_You?"_

Taylor chuckled.

"Try again. Here's a clue - she tied her ribbon to _your_ bed post!"

And he pointed to the green ribbon tied at the back of the bed.

Gadget stared at him

"Me?" He exclaimed, "Oh no...I...I don't know...what to...say."

And Gadget rested against the pillows and briefly closed his eyes, then he opened them again as he started to laugh.

"_Me?"_ He exclaimed.

Taylor saw amusement dancing in his eyes and he gave Gadget's hand a squeeze, feeling sure he was on the road to recovery now, he becoming just like the guy he used to be, his system was kicking back in now and Gadget was getting stronger, too...

* * *

When Gears went into Gadget's room after enjoying a long sleep, he was surprised to see his patient looking so much better so quickly. He could tell the scars were still healing and Gadget was a little unsteady and his speech was still coming back, but he looked so much brighter and happier.

"How are you?" Gears asked him.

As Gadget smiled at him, Gears got hit by that feeling that took him over again and he wanted to put his arms around Inspector Gadget and hug him, but he didn't do it.

Instead as Taylor Braydon got up and wandered over to the table to eat some dinner left for him by his brother, he took his place and sat down on the edge of Gadget's bed.

"I'm a lot better." Gadget stated, "I feel...stronger than I was...I'm a lot..._a lot_ better."

Gears nodded.

"I can tell you're having problems with your speech but that's temporary. It's because the brain tissue had slight swelling where the liquid metal was injected and that has to calm down so the connections can fire off properly."

And he carefully felt the back of his neck, noticing the skin around the metal plate had now healed well and the swelling had gone and the bruising was much improved.

"You're healing well." He told him, "But you do have to remember this is a _long _process because every part of your new spine has to heal and the nerve endings have to kick back in, there are thousands of connections inside other connections that are dependant on your spinal function."

And he paused, looking into his eyes as he placed his hand over Gadget's hand and told him the bad news:

"Gadget, you had a minor bleed into your brain during surgery. It will most likely cause you to be prone to glitches with your Gadget Mode. "

"Is that all?"

Gadget was smiling now.

"I know, Taylor said you've had problems with it in the past, so I guess that's no disaster for you."

And then his smile faded. He knew Gadget had been aware of the risks before the operation, and he was so happy to be making a good recovery that he didn't want to take any of that joy away for him, but he needed to be informed of the consequences of the surgery:

"There _is_ some bad news. Because of the extent of the surgery, because of everything your spine has been through, you won't be able to go back to active duty."

Gadget stared at him.

"How long for?"

And as he saw the look in his eyes, he knew he would take this badly, but he had to be told sooner rather than later...

"_Indefinitely."_ Gears said, "If you went back to active duty you would be prone to extreme pain in your spine, headaches, you would be on strong pain relief almost constantly. You can't be in the middle of the action any more- you need a quieter life, you need to take things easy. You can't be chasing after criminals at rocket speed any more. I can't have you flying around with your helicopter hat and crash landing and twisting your spine. So you won't be a police Inspector any more. You'll either have to take a much lighter job or an early retirement."

Gadget blinked away tears.

"I don't want to...to... leave... my job, I _love_ my job!"

Gears continued to explain.

"And I've permanently disabled your weapons mode because it's just _not_ practical for you to have that active when you're overly prone to glitches. Your original Gadget Mode is still effective but I've set it to kick back into voice command in three month's time – when you're fully recovered. And then if you _must _use it I strongly recommend you to keep it to a minimum because you won't be able to walk without at least some use of a cane for more than eight weeks because your new spinal fibers are still settling in your back, and the gadget mode takes a _lot_ of power up those cables. So nothing is perfect but you _do_ have your life back."

Gadget looked at him sadly.

"But I've lost my job and... my job was... a _big _part of my life."

Gears patted his hand.

"But there is some good news." He added,"I was able to fix the broken internal link from your spine to your pelvic reconstruction. You don't need the pipe in your hip any more."

Then he saw a brighter look in Gadget's eyes.

"You mean I can..."

Gears laughed.

"All it took was another wire and some living metal to seal the break. Now you can forget about external pipe work and needing the gadget mode to boost the connection – you can get aroused just like every other guy, its all normal in that way for you now. I re-used the connecting pipe to strengthen your cables once I took it out, so you've still got the metal work – but now it's got a different purpose."

Gadget was smiling again.

He thought about all the times he had struggled and only felt like a real man thanks to Penny's love and patience to get him there.

That was over now - he had normal function again, just like when is body had been human...

_"Thank you so much!"_ He exclaimed, and stiffly leaned forward as his back ached and gave gears an unexpected hug.

Gears held onto him for a moment, and then he let him go.

"I'm so glad you're making such a good recovery." He said, then he added: "But you might find the response is a bit over sensitive at first- so don't be alarmed if the slightest stimulus gets you aroused, it's just a passing phase as the nerves kick back into function."

And Gadget laughed nervously.

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind!"

Then Gears got up and stepped away from the bed.

"If you continue to rest and continue to improve, in three more days I can think about sending you home- but if you do go home as soon as that, I want you to _rest_. By that I mean, no walking any further from your bed to the bathroom and back again. I want you to rest for a month and I'll be coming to see you to make sure you're resting and I'll also be giving Lula Smith a complete breakdown of everything I've done to treat you – she needs to see that my methods can work with hers - our people can work together and make new advances in cybernetics,you are living proof of that."

And then he smiled.

"It was always meant to happen that way, Gadget- you're still the first cyborg to be created by new technology and fixed by clockwork. You just won't be Inspector Gadget any more, but at least you still have a future to look forward to."

Gadget smiled but sadness reflected in his eyes.

"That makes sense." He said quietly recalling how Lazarus had told him that everything came to an end eventually, and that he wouldn't always be Inspector Gadget...

As Gears left the room, Gadget looked at Taylor and blinked away tears.

He felt as if he ought to be happy to know that he was going to recover, but at the same time he felt heartbroken because he would not be going back to the job he loved.

"What will I do without being Inspector Gadget?" He said tearfully, "It's all I've ever wanted to be – a crime fighter! What can...can...I... I do... without my job?"

Taylor sat down next to him and gave his hand a squeeze as he smiled.

"Gadget," He said fondly," You've got Penny and the kids. You're _always_ saying you wished you had more time for your family – now you've got all the time in the world for them- and you _deserve_ that time, you really do. Be with Penny and the kids; be happy to be a husband and a father- that's what matters most to you."

Gadget looked into Taylor's eyes and thought about all he had said.

"I guess you're right," He said, sounding more fluent in his speech as the wiring in his head began to work better, "It's not so bad if I have to leave my job - I can be with Penny and the kids."

And then he smiled, seeing the bright side to a situation that had, at first, seemed so hopeless.

"I can spend more time with my family, I like the sound of that...my job isn't everything to me – I _want_ to be with Penny and the kids."

And Taylor heard the warmth come back into his recovering voice as optimism lit up his eyes and he smiled at Gadget.

"You've got a lot to look forward to." He promised him.

"_I know that now."_ Gadget replied, and suddenly his sadness at the thought that his career was over lifted, because he couldn't think of a better way to spend his time than with his wife and his kids... Suddenly he could feel hopeful once again as he thought about his future; he had a future to look forward to once more –even if it _was_ a little different to how he had expected it to be...


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

_"How's Gadget?"_

As he asked that question, Magnet's voice echoed around the hollowness of the submarine's interior.

Taylor stood in the middle of the control room and watched as he checked functions on a brightly lit panel.

"He's doing okay. He actually got up this morning and walked to the bathroom. I had to help him – but he's getting better fast. Although I would have expected him to have healed by now, I mean, he's a cyborg... But he can go home the day after tomorrow if he keeps improving."

And Taylor smiled and Magnet felt relieved to see the light back in his brother's eyes.

"That guy means a lot to you."

"Yes he does." Taylor said quietly, "I thought I was losing him...I _never_ want to do that."

And then Taylor looked at his brother.

Magnet had his back to him, reaching up to test switches as the light caught on his nautical pattered shirt. Taylor watched him and thought about the days when he used to be Raymond. _No matter how hard he thought of those days he couldn't see a trace of his bad little brother in the man who now called himself Magnet._

"I don't want to lose _anyone_ I love." He said tearfully.

Magnet flipped the final switch and looked around at him.

"_I don't want to lose you again!" _Taylor wailed, and then he burst into a flood of tears._  
_

Magnet walked over to him and put his arms around him.

Taylor gripped him hard, sobbing as he held him tightly.

"You won't lose me!" Magnet promised, and then Magnet gave a gasp.

"_Let go, you idiot...your cyborg arms are crushing me..."_

Taylor loosened his grip and smiled.

"Sorry Bro..."

And the two men looked at each other.

"Let's put the past behind us." Magnet said, "And start again, you and me, as real brothers ought to be... Agreed?"

And he held out his hand.

Taylor looked into his eyes and smiled.

"Agreed." He said warmly, and gripped his hand firmly.

* * *

Gadget was lying face down on his bed.

"Where's Taylor?" Gears wondered.

Gadget saw him take a pair of small scissors out of a medical case and he thought about the stitching in his back and carefully turned his head, focussing his gaze on the pile of gifts that were now on the table.

"I asked Magnet to take him down to the Sea Dragon while he ran some checks...I didn't want him to watch me going through this."

Gadget caught his breath as he heard a snip and felt the thread pull tight in his back.

"Just relax." Gears said, "This won't take long. Your back is closed up, that's good...I mean, good for delayed healing. Under normal circumstances I would expect this to take a few hours with the cybernetic skin but of course the donor metal slowed that down –and you'll have a permanent scar the length of your spine, sorry about that but it couldn't be avoided."

Gadget drew in a slow breath as Gears cut more of the thread and began to pluck it from his back.

"It's a good thing Taylor isn't here to watch this – I think he feels your pain for you."

Gadget winced as thread slipped through tightened flesh.

_"He does..."_

"I'm glad he wasn't here ten minutes ago when I took the staples out of your head."

"So am I." Gadget said as he breathed in again and let it out slowly as thread was pulled from his healed flesh; he knew Taylor would have found this _very_ distressing – especially when the staples had come out - there had been a lot of blood and oil and Gears had to clean the wounds more than once before his cyborg skin took over and the punctures began to close.

"How does your head feel?" Gears asked him.

"Bruised." Gadget replied, "But only where you took the staples out. The back of my head aches a little bit, but it's not hurting like it was."

Gears smiled.

"Well you might like to know your latest scan results showed the swelling is gone and your bones have fused successfully again. I want to monitor you for one more day but after that you can go home."

As the last piece of thread was tugged from his flesh Gadget breathed out and turned over and pulled the covers up to his hips and carefully shifted up the bed so that he could lie against pillows to cushion his back.

As Gears cleared away the cut stitches and the scissors Gadget looked at him and knew there was a question he needed to ask that couldn't be avoided no matter _how_ much he didn't want to ask it...

"Why can't I walk unaided? I was expecting to be able to at least manage a few steps but my right leg feels weak. It's not my back, the pain's easing right off it now. How long will I be stuck with using a cane?"

Gears paused.

"I've compared your latest scans to the ones taken at the time of surgery and thanks to the way you're healing I can say that most of your healing – because you're a cyborg - is done now. But you will have to rest and take things easy for at least three months. After that there's no more room for improvement."

Gadget felt a flicker of alarm.

"But you said I'd get glitches, that was all, glitches with my gadget mode –"

"And the way the spine has healed is perfect." Gears assured him, "And the wiring that goes into your brain is absolutely fine. But I have studied the extent of the damage that was caused by the bleed and I'm now certain that it went a little bit beyond the control to your gadgets."

And Gadget looked at Gears and suddenly wished Taylor was in the room because he knew this was leading to something he didn't want to hear.

_"Damage?"_ He said quietly.

Gears spoke gently but honestly.

"You suffered a bleed when I coated one of the wires. I closed it off but as soon as the bleed happened it caused damage. I noticed when you were first recovering your right hand seemed a little weaker than the left but that's resolved itself now. But your leg has stayed weak. That's something I can't fix; as I said before you had the procedure there _was_ a risk of brain damage. But its minor, you'll be able to walk just fine with a cane, you'll barely need to lean on it at all as you get stronger."

"So I'll be able to walk without it one day?"

Gadget's voice had trembled as he spoke. Gears didn't doubt that learning he was left with any kind of disability would hit him very hard because Gadget had been through so much since he had become the first cyborg; he had been through so much to regain his human body through the upgrade and the reconstruction and to know that he had to live with more damage would be difficult to accept.

"This is a _minor_ problem." Gears emphasized, "But it's permanent. I'm sorry but you'll always need that cane to a certain degree."

Gadget took in a sharp breath and looked away as his eyes filled with tears.

"Please try and get this into perspective." Gears told him, "A short while ago you were close to death. Now you have your life back. Needing a cane to walk and having a few more glitches with your gadget mode when it's active is a _very _small price to pay."

Gadget looked at Gears and nodded. There was pain in his eyes but as he spoke he did his best to hide the worst of how he felt.

"I know, you're right about that. I guess I was just hoping that everything would be perfect."

"_I don't think life can ever be perfect for any of us."_ Gears replied sadly.

That remark surprised him; Gadget had assumed that the clever and successful Mr Gears had everything he wanted in life, he was in charge of Amaryllis and the leader of his people, he was a brilliant young scientist and he had a beautiful wife who loved him and Lazarus considered him part of the Steel Trinity...it didn't seem like Gears could have much in his life to feel unhappy about, yet there was _something_...

"What could be better for you?" He wondered.

Gears shook his head.

"_It's nothing I can ever change."_ He said quietly, _"Once the page is written it can't be undone."_

And Gadget wanted to ask him what he meant by that, but just then Taylor walked through the door and greeted him with a big smile.

"Gadget!" He exclaimed, "My brother's just been showing me how he does maintenance to the submarine!"

And Gadget smiled back at him, pushing aside his own personal sadness as he kept happy for Taylor's sake.

"My stitches are out." He announced.

Taylor's eyes sparkled.

"That's great! And as soon as your backs better you'll be able to walk properly again too!"

"My back _is_ better." Gadget said quietly, but Taylor missed his remark.

"So why has it taken so long for him to get better?" Taylor asked Gears, "I would have thought _my_ man metal would have healed him instantly!"

Gears caught the slightly vacant expression in Taylor Braydon's eyes and guessed that any explanation he gave would have to be basic or he stood no chance of understanding.

"When extra living metal is needed for cyborg repairs it's always better if it's virgin."

Taylor glared at him.

"Excuse me? Are you calling me, Taylor _man metal _Braydon, a _virgin?_ Don't you believe me when I say women find my manly cyborg parts exciting? "

Gears stared at him.

"No...You misunderstand me, Taylor..."

But Taylor wasn't listening. He stepped closer to Gears.

"_I'm sexier than you, admit it!"_

And he pulled his shirt open and stripped it off.

"Take a good look, this is what a _real _man should like!" He exclaimed, "And girls _love_ me – so don't go getting jealous of _my_ man metal – you want to be macho? Get rid that clockwork and get some _proper_ cyborg design inside you, Mister Gears!"

And Gears paused, wanting to be sure Taylor had finished his rant.

He glanced at Gadget, who lay back against the pillows feeling embarrassed for Taylor, who had got worked up for nothing...

"I don't think that's quite what he meant." Gadget said diplomatically.

Taylor blinked.

"What?"

"I wasn't saying I thought women would be turned off by your cybernetic design." Gears said, "I was actually trying to explain that virgin living metal – meaning newly manufactured and unused, without being mixed with the DNA signature of another recipient, heals almost instantly. When it's come from a donor, it takes longer for the body to accept – even when it's given to a cyborg."

Taylor stared at him.

He said nothing.

Then his face turned red and he reached for his shirt and quickly slipped it back on.

"Sorry..." He mumbled as he looked downwards as he buttoned it up, "I...um...got it _wrong_..."

Gadget wanted to laugh but he held it back.

"When I said virgin I was referring to brand new unused living metal." Gears repeated.

Taylor had finished buttoning his shirt.

His face was still red.

_"Okay, I get it now! Sorry!"_

Then he looked at the ribbon tied to Gadget's bed post.

"Speaking of virgins... what's going to happen about Ivy?"

And then it was Gadget's turn to feel his face grow hot.

"Well obviously I can't take up her offer, I'm a married man." Gadget stated, "It's out of the question."

Gears frowned.

"But she's chosen you. If she doesn't qualify to become a part of the leadership of the first church of Lazarus, our people won't be accepted by the other church leaders. That could prove disastrous to the unification of our Kindred and those who live in Cyborg City. Ultimately it could divide us and even push us into war."

Gadget laughed off his remark, but then he saw the look in Gears eyes and he stopped smiling.

"You seriously think if she failed to be accepted there could be fighting over it?"

Gears nodded.

"Our people have our own rules and customs; it will take a while for our people to be integrated successfully with the residents of Cyborg City."

"But what's so different about your people?" Taylor wondered.

"We have our own ways." Gears replied, "What you've seen is only a small snapshot of what our lives are like. For example, a man of the Amaryllis Kindred is allowed to have as many wives as he pleases. And women are permitted to have multiple husbands. We have _many_ rules in our society that differ from yours..."

Gadget was still thinking about what Gears had said about the possibility of trouble in the future if Ivy did not take her place as minister for her people.

Taylor's jaw had dropped and stayed dropped as he thought about what Gears had just said about a man of the Kindred having many wives...

His eyes glazed over as he slipped off into a daydream about the Braydon mansion:

_He could picture driving through the gates, to be greeted by many women who were overjoyed to see him, Evie would kiss him first, and then all his other wives – who would also get on really well with Evie - would hug him and fuss over him... _

_And they'd say such great things about him too:_

"_You're so tough, Taylor..."_

"_I love your man metal!"_

"_I'm so proud to be wife number seventeen!"_

"_But I like being wife number thirty!" Another woman would chime in... _

_And it would take him so long to walk through the front door, because they would all be around him like girls going crazy over a pop star... and Evie would turn to him and smile, saying:_

"_I'm so glad you've got forty nine other wives! They're such great company! Were all such good friends! And we love to share you, Taylor..."_

_Then he would go out into the garden and yell:_

"_Daddy's home!"_

And they would _all _run towards him joyfully, _all one hundred of his kids..._

Then Taylor's eyes widened as he guessed a hundred kids rushing at him might knock him over, and he stumbled, slamming his hand on the table to steady himself.

That jolt brought him back down to earth as reality kicked in and he pictured the look on Evie's face as she said:

"No, you are _not_ going to join the Amaryllis Kindred! If you even _think_ about more than one wife, you won't _have_ a wife at all!"

And Taylor blinked.

_"Maybe not..."_ He murmured.

Gadget stared at him.

"Taylor? Are you okay?"

Taylor nodded.

"I'm happy with Evie." He stated as he looked at Gears, "I only want one wife...and the Taylor Tots. That's it for me...so no thanks...I _dont_ want forty nine other wives...don't need 'em..."

Gears felt confused.

"That's nice to know..." He said, wondering why Taylor had made such a statement.

Then Taylor smoothed down his shirt and ran his fingers through his hair, wanting to forget about that scenario where his house was _too_ full...

Gadget's mind was still on the possible consequences of Ivy not taking her place as minister.

He thought about Penny and knew in a heart beat that he had loved many times but only loved truly once; she was everything to him...

_But he was still thinking about what Gears had told him._

"Why would she want me?" He asked him.

"Because she needs to choose a man of great power." He replied.

Gadget shook his head.

"That's not me."

But as Gears looked at him, Gadget caught something in his eyes that made him wonder if he knew more than he was willing to say.

"What?" He wondered.

Gears avoided his gaze as he picked up his medical case.

"Only Ivy knows why." He replied, "I can't speak for her, but she has a reason for choosing you."

"When are you planning to take your people to the surface?" Gadget asked him.

"Very soon." Gears replied, "It's a matter of days."

Gadget gave a sigh. He glanced over at Taylor, who had wandered over to the other side of the room where he idly watched the fishes swim by and he lowered his voice, knowing for sure if he accepted this request, he could never let Taylor know, because his best friend simply wouldn't see the deeper reason behind it – and this was something he would have to stay silent about, because he loved Penny and he wasn't doing this for any other reason than to ensure the people of the Kindred avoided a holy war in the future...

"I can't talk right now..."

Gadget glanced in Taylor's direction, then he looked at Gears and drew in a nervous breath.

"I understand she's chosen me. I don't know why - but I'll help. _I'll accept_."

He saw relief in Gears eyes but he felt heavy in his heart for the choice he had made.

"I'll make the arrangements tonight." Gears said quietly.

Gadget's eyes grew wider.

"I'm still recovering from surgery. Tell her not to expect too much!"

Gears smiled as he placed his hand on his shoulder.

"Thank you Gadget." He said warmly, and then he left the room.

Taylor was still watching the fish.

Then he turned around and looked at Gadget, completely missing the worry that filled his eyes as he wondered if he had made the right decision.

"_I wouldn't do that." _He stated_, "No way..."_

Gadget stared at him, wondering if he had overheard their conversation.

"You wouldn't do what?"

Taylor shook his head.

"I wouldn't want a lot of wives... I thought I did, I thought about it ...but Evie's the one for me. I wouldn't want or _need_ forty nine others...and a _hundred kids_ would be too much..."

Taylor sounded genuinely concerned at the prospect and Gadget laughed.

"Well you don't have to live like the Kindred." He told him, "I guess they're happy with their own rules, but it's not for everyone."

Taylor smiled as he looked at Gadget.

"Could _you_ imagine having more than one wife?"

Gadget shook his head.

But he couldn't help an image that flashed to mind:

_He was at home, on his bed and Penny was kissing him, and as she broke off from that kiss she held him as he gave a gasp as the other woman continued to give her attentions to his lower body._

"_You like that, don't you, Gadget?" Penny said warmly as she looked into his eyes and saw he was close to losing control._

_Then she looked down at his other wife._

"_Don't rush, Lula...let's keep him on the edge for a while..."_

Gadget snapped out of that daydream and gave a gasp of surprise as a bolt of pleasure ran though his body and...

He reached under the covers, and then quickly drew his hand away again.

"_Wowzer!"_ He said, _"It works!"_

Taylor frowned.

"What?"

Gadget felt his face growing red and hot.

"My...um...reconstruction. I just got unexpectedly..._excited_...normally. No external pipe involved, no need for my gadget mode...I just..._got there_, Taylor."

Relief shone in Gadget's eyes.

"It happened normally, just like it used to! That makes me feel so much more human! Oh, I wasn't expecting that..."

Taylor rushed over to him and hugged him.

"I'm so pleased for you!" He exclaimed, sitting down heavily on the bed and pulling Gadget closer.

But Gadget quickly pushed him away.

His face was still flushed and he felt slightly embarrassed as he laughed it off.

"Don't go throwing yourself all over me – my wiring's just kicked back in, I don't think I've got much control over it at this moment..."

And he glanced downwards, knowing he was still aroused.

He reached for his bathrobe.

"I need a cold shower!"

Gadget sat up and put on the bathrobe, closing it quickly, but not quick enough to stop Taylor from catching a glimpse of the part of his body he was trying to hide.

"I can _see_ its working!" Taylor exclaimed, "I'm so happy for you, Gadget – it works all on its own now!"

Gadget ignored that remark and tied up his bathrobe, then reached for the black, silver handled cane that was next to his bed.

"Are you sure you don't need some help with that?" Taylor offered.

Gadget leaned on the cane, briefly glancing down at his own body before he looked at Taylor and felt his blush deepen.

"I think a _cold shower_ can take care of it, Taylor!"

And Taylor smiled.

"No, I mean do you need _help_ in the _shower_, do you need help because you need to walk with the cane? I don't want you to slip over in there when the floor is wet."

And Gadget's face grew even hotter at his own mistake.

"I'll be fine." He said quietly, and leaned on the cane as he made his way to the bathroom, then he went inside and closed the door behind him.

* * *

Despite the cold shower – which Gadget eventually changed to a _warm_ shower because the scar on his back hurt under the cold water – he found his thoughts couldn't shift far from the tension that was building up inside him, made worse by the fact that the new wiring to his groin was starting to work now and the slightest thought of anything remotely sexual started him getting physically aroused. He knew Gears had warned him to expect that at first, but it just made thinking about Ivy even more difficult.

He thought instead about his reasons for accepting her request, and the consequences that could come about if he refused.

Then he thought about Gears and how much he had done for him – the man had saved his life and his people had showed him nothing but kindness, and even though he didn't like the idea of sex with another woman because he loved Penny, he understood the deeper reason for deciding to do this.

He also wondered why she had chosen him – Gears had said, she would have to choose a man of power, and where Gadget knew he had been Riverton's greatest crime fighter, he certainly wouldn't be that now he had to take an early retirement because of the consequences of the surgery that had saved his life.

He had once been a great hero but not any more, things had changed, and if Ivy was choosing him because of his reputation, it made him feel like a fraud and he knew he had to explain that to her- he knew he would explain that to her as soon as they met_, _because he didn't want her to hold any illusions about him...

_The time had passed slowly._

"You're quiet." Taylor said as he poked about on the table and admired the gifts left for Gadget by the Kindred.

Then he pulled up a string of pearls and his eyes lit up.

_"Maybe these came from a mermaid!"_

And finally Gadget smiled.

"Maybe they did, Taylor." He said kindly, wishing in that moment that he could see life in the simple, uncomplicated way that his best friend did.

Then Gadget looked at the antique clock on the wall; it ticked slowly and surely as it measured time as the pendulum swung and the engraved hands shifted around roman numerals. It was almost five in the afternoon. He wondered when it would be time to see Ivy and he hoped it was soon, because he was nervous, he was tense, his body was over sensitive to the slightest stimulation because of the new wiring starting to work - and he partly wished he could just get on and do it and get it over with – but at the same time he feared the whole thing being a disaster, because there was a possibility that his new wiring, being so sensitive, could wreck his whole performance - maybe even _before_ he got started...

Then Gears came into the room.

"How are you?" He asked him cautiously.

Gadget gave him a glance that told him all he needed to know: _He was nervous as hell..._

Gears lowered his voice, turning his back to Taylor, who was still exploring the many gifts on the table on the other side of the room.

"I take it your wiring has started to work, the wring that enables you to get aroused?"

Gadget nodded and looked downwards, he was on top of the covers and in his bathrobe and he started to nervously fiddle with the tie on his robe.

"_It's working."_ He said quietly.

"Okay, I don't want to embarrass you, I just wanted to make sure everything's started to function. How do you feel about tonight? Are you worried?"

Gadget took in a shaky breath.

"I've got new wiring, I'm not sure if I can get used to controlling myself just yet – it's like having normal human function back all of a sudden and..."

Gears put his hand on his shoulder as he leaned closer and lowered his voice.

"Don't worry about that. I have to be somewhere tonight but I'm sending a couple of my colleagues over here to check you over before you go to Ivy. That should help you a great deal."

Gadget looked up at him sharply.

"_What for?"_

He sounded alarmed and Gears tried to ease his worries by explaining further:

"Well, your spine is healed but I'm aware that your back is still stiff, that's to be expected. I'll have that taken care for you, so you feel more comfortable."

Gadget nodded, but he was still unsure about everything.

"What about Taylor?" He whispered, "I want him kept out of this."

Gears smiled.

"I've arranged a big surprise for him." He said warmly, "Trust me, he'll _love_ it – to him it will be a dream come true...it was his brother's idea."

Gadget could only wonder at what the surprise would be, but by the amused tone in Gears voice, he guessed he was right, Taylor _would_ love it...

And then Magnet walked in.

"Taylor!" He exclaimed, "I needed you to come with me, you'll never guess what's happened!"

Taylor stared at him

"What's happened?" He wondered.

Magnet glanced at Gadget and Gears and gave a discreet wink.

"We caught one in the fishing net while I was taking the Sea Dragon out. She's okay but she wants to talk to someone who can tell her about the world above the water and I thought you'd be the perfect person for the job!"

"Who is she?" Taylor wondered.

Magnet looked at his big, not too bright brother and knew for sure he loved him way too much to laugh at him for believing what he was about to say - they needed to keep him distracted for several hours, so he had asked one of the girls to dress up in a costume left over from a party last New Years Eve...

"_We caught a mermaid."_ He said to Taylor, _"A real one."_

Taylor's eyes filled with wonder.

"Oh wow! A _real _mermaid! _Yes I want to meet her! I want to know if she lives in sunken pirate ship! I want to know if she's met Neptune and if she can talk to dolphins!_"

Taylor was bubbling over with excitement like an overgrown child.

Then he looked at Magnet excitedly.

"Is she naked or does she wear clothes?"

Taylor thought about the mermaid costume.

"She's got a bra on, it's covered in...seashells and shiny stuff, I think..."

Taylor nodded thoughtfully.

"It's probably for the best...that way I know I'll be looking at her face when I talk to her instead of her big huge-"

He stopped right here and turned to Gadget.

"_Come with me!"_

Gadget smiled.

"I'll stay here, Taylor. I need to rest. You go and meet the mermaid."

Taylor didn't need to be told twice.

"Take me to the mermaid!" He said to his brother, before glancing back at Gadget with excitement shining in his eyes.

"This is _so_ exciting!" He exclaimed, then as Magnet left the room, he dashed off to catch up with him, truly believing he was about to meet a real live mermaid.

Gears waited until Taylor was gone and then he checked his pocket watch.

"I'll have my colleagues come and check you over. Please don't feel uncomfortable about any of this."

Gadget still looked nervous.

"I'll try and relax." He said to him, "Thanks for your help."

Gears looked into his eyes.

"You'll be just fine." He promised him.

Then he left the room and closed the door and Gadget sat there in silence as he wondered what would happen next, feeling anything but relaxed as he sat alone and feeling nervous.

* * *

_Taylor had turned down so many corridors he felt dizzy._

"Where are we going?" He wondered as he looked at his brother, "I've never been over this side of the base before...this really is a big place..."

And then a sudden thought made him feel nervous.

"Stay with me? I mean, take me back again later – I don't think I can find my way on my own, I might get lost..."

Magnet smiled.

"You won't get lost." He promised him, "And we're here now. She's right through this door..."

And Magnet opened a door and Taylor stepped inside.

Magnet followed him in and closed the door behind him, secretly smiling because he knew his brother would fall for this and love every minute of it.

Taylor's eyes widened in wonder as he found himself into the middle of a large, white tiled bathroom - there was a big, square bath in the middle of the room and she sat on the edge of it, her tail dipped in the water as the bright lighting caught and bounced off her sparkling bra adorned with tiny sea shells and she combed long, flaxen hair.

She looked up at smiled at Taylor.

And Taylor Braydon stared at her in wonder.

"Hello!" He exclaimed, sounding like an excited child, "Um...Hi..._mermaid lady..._wow...you're a _real_ one!"

She smiled at him, casting a brief glance at Magnet, knowing at once he hadn't been exaggerating when he'd said his big brother wasn't too bright...he actually _believed _she was a real mermaid...

She smiled kindly at Taylor.

"Hello Taylor." She said sweetly, "It's nice to meet you."

Taylor's eyes were still shining as he looked at her.

"Do you live in a shipwreck?" He asked her.

And as Magnet watched his brother excitedly talking to a woman in a costume, believing that she was a genuine mermaid, he looked affectionately at Taylor, feeling sure he had never loved his big overgrown kid of a brother as much as he did at this moment.

* * *

Gadget had been laying on his bed and trying to relax but all the same he felt jumpy and as the door opened he sat up sharply.

When he saw two women come in wearing lab coats he started to relax – they were just colleagues of Gears and they were going to check him over, that was fine, it was nothing to get worked up over...

The taller, older woman with fair hair reminded him a little of Lula Smith.

He thought about his brief passing fantasy about Penny and Lula and wondered, _why_ did it have to be Lula he kept thinking of?

_Maybe it was because she had rebuilt him, she had performed his reconstruction and now he had normal function back perhaps she was on his mind because of that..._

He could still recall the day he had whispered _Gadget Mode off_ and taken her in his arms... _She had been the first woman he'd made love to with his new body..._

Gadget shoved that thought aside because he didn't want to get turned on all over again, but it was difficult not to, because these two women were pretty and by the scent of their perfume he felt sure they didn't work in the cybernetics lab...They both wore a lot of make up, too. The younger woman was shorter with darker hair and she had it styled up in a clip that was studded with diamante.

"Gears asked us to come over and check your back." The blonde said to him, and as she spoke, she locked the door.

It was then Gadget noticed she walked back over to him balancing perfectly in very, very high heeled shoes...

The second woman set a burner down next to the bed and lit it. As the oil began to heat up the room filled with a heavy scent of spices.

"What is this, some kind complimentary therapy?" Gadget joked nervously.

Both women were standing over his bed now.

"We specialize in massage." The younger woman said, "And Gears wants us to help you with your discomfort."

Gadget looked at them both warily.

"Um...well, I don't have much discomfort now. My back feels a bit sore but I can handle it."

"Can I see your scar?" The older woman asked him.

Gadget untied his robe and slipped it partly off, turning face down as he remembered these people worked for Gears and were just trying to help him...

As the blonde woman slid gentle fingertips down his recently healed scar, he caught his breath.

"That looks absolutely fine." She told him, "But it's probably feeling tight?"

Gadget nodded.

_"But I can handle it."_ He added again, hoping the message would get through.

"Could you get me the oil?" The woman said to her colleague.

Gadget was still lying face down and he felt his body go tense as the woman took a small bottle of patterned glass from her pocket and as she opened it amber liquid slipped out into her hand. She gave some to her colleague and then she placed the bottle next to the bed.

As the blonde's hands slowly glided up his back, Gadget gave a sigh as her touch eased away the tightness from his recent scarring.

The younger woman was stroking his shoulders.

"Does that feel okay?" She wondered.

Gadget's eyes were closed and he was smiling as he answered her; that oil carried scents of woodlands and spices and made his head swim in a nice kind of way that forced all the tension out of his body.

"That's good, that's getting rid of the pain..."

And he gave anther sigh, feeling sleepy but at the same time aware that his over sensitive brand new wring was kicking in and he was becoming aroused now – _but that was okay; he was face down on the bed and they didn't need to know that..._

"I wasn't expecting you to have such a nice body." The blonde remarked as her hands glided up his back, "Gears told me about everything you'd been through...but you're in good shape."

Gadget laughed softly.

"Thank you that's nice to know...I haven't exactly felt in good shape lately..."

"Tell me if this hurts." The younger woman said as she gently rubbed his shoulders and then her hands began to work higher.

"You can go up the back of his neck." The blonde said to her colleague, "The plate at the base of his skull is healed now- and it's living metal so its-"

_"Sensitive."_ The younger woman murmured as she started to smile.

Gadget gave another sigh as she gently stroked the small metal plate that was now permanently fixed to the base of his skull.

"That feels great..."

The younger woman, who was sat by his pillow, stopped stroking the back of his neck and leaned over him.

"You need to turn over now." She whispered, and Gadget laughed and his face grew red.

"No, I'm naked...I can't do that..."

The blonde was still massaging his back.

The younger woman kissed his cheek.

"_We are here to get rid of the pain so you can be comfortable when you meet with our chosen one, when you meet with Ivy."_ She said softly, _"And we have to get you ready for that and get all the tension out of you so you can perform with her."_

Gadget wasn't surprised by what she had just said, nor did he want to object because the massage had lifted away all the tightness from his newly healed spine and the oil they had rubbed into his cybernetic skin felt so good, it made him warm and relaxed.

But all the same, as he felt the blonde woman slide his bath robe from his body, he still felt self conscious, that feeling increased as they both helped him to turn over on his back and they looked at him, their eyes roamed over his body and suddenly all he could think of was the scarring that was visible on his pelvic reconstruction.

"My body's far from perfect...I guess now I've had my back fixed I've got a few more scars to add to the collection, I look even worse..."

And then he caught his breath as the blonde's oiled hand slid down to his groin as her other hand slid upwards, brushing against the micro chips set in his chest.

"_Oh no, slow down..."_

Gadget was breathing harder now, _"I've just had some rewiring...I'm too sensitive right now..."_

The younger woman slid oiled fingers into his cropped hair, massaging above his temples where the scarring to his head was still visible.

"It's okay, Inspector Gadget." She said softly, "We know you've been through a lot. You have to let go of all that tension, just let it go..."

And then she leaned over him and softly kissed him.

Gadget returned the kiss as she pulled back again and carried on massaging her fingertips into his hair.

The sensation as she caressed over the fresh scarring was so good, so relaxing that he didn't resist the other woman as one hand brushed against his chest while the other slid gently downwards once more.

"There's _nothing_ wrong with you." She said softly, "You look just fine down there...it's better smooth, it makes the oil glide..."

And Gadget caught his breath again as he looked into the eyes of the younger woman who now had her arm around him as she used her free hand to run her fingers through his hair.

"_Stop...I can't hold back..."_

Gadget closed his eyes, feeling helpless against the caresses that were happening lower down, it felt so good and all he wanted to do was go with it and let it happen and go all the way.

"_That's right,"_ The woman said gently as she held him and stroked oiled fingers through his hair, _"Just let go, Inspector Gadget... let go, you'll feel so much better..."_

The blonde woman still had her hand on his body, she was still caressing him and he heard the other woman tell him to let go of his tension.

As he breathed hard the image flashed into his mind of the brief fantasy he had thought of earlier that day of Penny holding him while his former lover paid him the kind of attention he was getting right now...

"Gadget," The younger woman said as she stroked his hair, "Think about how good this feels..."

He breathed in again as perspiration ran down his face.

"_I am..."_

"Think of someone you would like to be with...who do you wish was doing this to you?" She asked him softly.

_Gadget was past the point of no return now._

_He pictured Penny kissing him while someone else was caressing the lower half of his body, in exactly the way the blonde woman was stroking him at this very moment..._

"Who could be doing this to you?" She whispered again.

"_Lula!"_ Gadget gasped, and then he trembled as he lost all control and it was good and it felt right just like he had hoped it would – it _did_ feel as if all the tension had slid out of him; Gadget was weak in the arms of the woman who had been stroking his hair and all he could do was lay there for a moment and get his breath back.

The blonde woman was cleaning him up and wiping oil from his body and Gadget opened his eyes and took in a deep breath. The younger woman still had her arm around him and she smiled.

"Feel better for that?" She asked him.

Gadget didn't feel shy any more, nor did he feel tense or sore, or ugly with his scars.

He smiled as he looked into her eyes.

"_Thank you."_ He whispered, then he gave a sigh and closed his eyes again, briefly resting to recover from what had been an unexpected and pleasurable experience that had indeed got rid of his tension - _and more than that, it had reminded him that despite all he had been through, he was still a desirable man..._


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

As Gadget stood under the warm water and it ran over his body he closed his eyes as the sensation warmed through to the living metal in his bones.

The two women who had attended to him had done much more for him than they knew:

He was standing naked under the water, his scarred and reconstructed body exposed, but he felt no pain when he thought about that fact. All Gadget felt was total acceptance of himself, feeling sure that every scar, every part of his rebuilt body bore testament to the fact that he _was_ the man who others called a hero.

He could see it now; he understood that he was on the brink of discovering just how far the greatness he was destined for would reach to:

_Yes, there was a reason why Ivy had chosen him, and he was about to find out why and he was ready to learn that knowledge and embrace it with no fear..._

The two women who attended to him continued to care for his every need, they helped him out of the shower, then began gently drying his wet skin and stroking lotion onto his body, although there was no sexual motive to their attention now.

They dressed him in a black silken robe edged with embroidered gold and silver and then as he stood before the mirror and looked into his own eyes he was sure of it:

_There was more to his purpose in this life, and he was about to find out what it was..._

Gadget leaned on his cane, heavily at first and then lighter as he gained his balance and the two women led him out of the room. As they walked down the carpeted corridor he looked back and saw a heavy velvet drape had been placed over the end of the corridor, blocking this section of the base from the view of others.

The two women said nothing as they reached a turn in the corridor, then walked up to a large white door.

The younger woman stepped back as the blonde opened up the door, and then she too stepped back and gestured to Gadget to enter the room.

He looked briefly at the two women.

"Thank you." He said, and then went inside.

* * *

As he entered the room, the door closed behind him.

He glanced around but the two women had not joined him.

Gadget knew he was left alone now to meet with Ivy, the holy woman of the Amaryllis Kindred.

The room was large and softly lit with blown glass lamps, it was warm and a soft carpet covered the floor and as he looked up he saw the ceiling was covered with silken tapestry that decorated it.

The room was furnished with heavy, dark antique wood, this even extended to the large four poster bed that seemed to dominate the room with its heavy posts and old wood carving. A white canopy framed it and as Gadget looked up he noticed a mirror was fixed above the bed and it bore the same clockwork pattern as the mirror that had been placed on the table in his own room when he had been recovering and people had left gifts. But this was different; the mirror was immense, covering the area above the large bed.

Gadget tried _not_ to think about how erotic that mirror would be while he was on that bed with Ivy, he didn't want any sexual thoughts entering his mind, because he was yet to meet her and he had many questions...

He leaned on his cane and walked into the middle of the room, then as he turned he saw her step out from the shadows.

She walked over to the bed and stood there looking at him and he looked at her:

Ivy was a small, slender young woman whose black hair fell in spirals to her shoulders. Her face was pale and her wide eyes were painted heavily and her lips shone pale pink and glossed as she smiled at him.

"_Hello Inspector Gadget."_ She said quietly.

Gadget leaned on his cane once more and walked over to her as he kept his eyes fixed on her face because he didn't want to think about the way the light shone through her white gown, making it seem transparent...she was naked beneath it and he knew he had to keep his mind clear of such thoughts for now.

As he joined her she sat down on the bed and he sat beside her and leaned his cane against the heavy bed post.

He smiled.

"Hello Ivy" He said to her, "It's nice to meet you. I have no idea why you chose me, but I'd certainly like to know the reason."

And Ivy looked at him thoughtfully, knowing this was the great Inspector Gadget of legend, not so like the images she had seen in old press cuttings, he had changed over the years:

He was slightly heavier now. He had little lines around his eyes when he smiled and she felt sure most of them had come about by smiling, although some of them had been etched deeper by pain also. She could still see the scars just about visible beneath his short black hair, scars from the procedure Gears had put him through to save his life.

_But Gadget looked recovered now._

And she knew he was still the great man of legend who she had heard so much about, even though he was older and battles and other damage had left him scarred and he had been forced to suffer a great deal of pain to survive, he was still Gadget, he was the man she had chosen and she knew her choice had been the right one...

"_I'm not a crime fighter any more."_ Gadget explained, making the truth perfectly clear so his conscience could also be clear, "Gears repaired me but I have to take care of my new spine. And I'll need the cane forever. I _can't_ go back to active duty. So I _used _to be a hero but when I go back to the surface, I won't be Inspector Gadget any more, I have to take an early retirement. I just want you to know that because I'm _not_ a powerful man, honey. I used to be in the sense that I was a crime fighter – _but that's all gone for me now_."

And he looked into her eyes and waited for her response.

She was young and beautiful and he knew he was in a position most men would want to grab at with both hands, but Gadget was _not_ most men, he was accepting her request for the right reasons and he needed to be sure she understood that he was not the powerful man she imagined him to be, because he would give her nothing but honesty.

"So you see," He continued, "I might not be the man you should be choosing. _I'm not powerful_."

And she looked downwards as she thought about all he said, then as she sat beside him in silence, she lifted her gaze once more and slowly smiled as she looked into his eyes.

"Yes you _are _powerful." She said softly, "There are two pillars of faith either side of Lazarus - the Sentinel and The Spirit of Invention. Both pillars, like Lazarus, live on Earth as the human embodiment of those aspects of the faith. In their lifetimes they are great men; when their lifetimes are over they become as saints, even in life their names shall be spoken of with reverence and their images shall be etched in stained glass and they shall be known as part of the Steel Trinity, it comprises of three with Lazarus at the top and the first and second pillar as columns of strength and faith. Gears is the second pillar; he is the living embodiment of The Spirit of Invention which inspires us all to create through technology."

And she reached out and placed a soft hand on his cheek.

"_And you are the first pillar - you are the Sentinel, protector of Riverton and Cyborg City, hero of the great battle, defender of the birthplace of cybernetics - the first cyborg, the warrior filled with living metal - the silver sentinel, the living embodiment of the protector of all mankind within the new faith."_

As Gadget heard the truth, he stared at her speechless.

"Gears represents invention." She stated, "The power that drives man to create the new age. And _you_ represent protection and strength - _and also immense courage._"

Gadget recalled how Lazarus had told him he had reasons for choosing him to be the first cyborg.

"It's all part of a greater plan?"

"You are a very special man, Inspector Gadget." Ivy replied, _"You're a part of the Steel Trinity_."

As Gadget thought about all she had said, a sense of peace and calm acceptance came over him..._of course it made sense, Lazarus had chosen him for a reason and now he understood exactly why and felt honoured that of all the men on earth who could have been the first cyborg, God had chosen John Brown, a humble security guard..._

"That's why you asked for me?"

Ivy nodded.

Gadget smiled.

"It makes sense now – even if I _used _to be a great crime fighter and I'm not any more..."

"You will always be the protector of Riverton." She stated, "You don't have to be Inspector to do that."

And she looked at him with admiration in her eyes.

Gadget thought about the Kindred and asked her a question.

"Did Lazarus make the rules for your people?" He wondered.

She shook her head.

"He gave us free will to create our own society." She explained, "It's his way of encouraging diversity and acceptance of differences in culture in the New Age."

Gadget looked into her eyes.

"So it's important that we do this tonight? I mean, you _have_ to go through with this?"

"Yes." She said quietly.

Gadget noticed a flicker of apprehension in her eyes.

"Have you ever...been with a guy before, I mean I know you haven't made love but have you had _any_ kind of experience?"

And the girl looked at him with wide eyes and shook her head.

Gadget took hold of her hand.

"It's okay, I won't rush you with this...we can take our time."

She gently clasped his hand in her grip and raised it to her lips and kissed it.

_"I trust you."_ She said, _"You're the Sentinel."_

Gadget cautiously reached for her, as he held her he did nothing but embrace her for a moment, he let her cling to him while he pressed his face against her hair and inhaled the scent of her skin. He placed a gentle kiss on her throat, then another on her cheek and then she looked into his eyes.

"Be gentle for my sake, Inspector." She said softly.

Gadget's eyes shone with warmth as he held the nervous young woman in his arms.

"Honey, I've just been through major surgery!" He exclaimed,"I have to be careful with _myself!_ Don't worry, I wont hurt you. I couldn't be rough if I tried - we _both_ have to be careful for _my _sake!"

And as he laughed, she did too.

Then Gadget leaned closer once more and gently kissed her. His kiss was gentle and as she responded, grew deeper. Gadget sensed urgency in her as she clung to him harder, then he broke away from their kiss and saw her eyes were darkening as arousal dilated her pupils.

"_Lay back."_ He whispered.

As she obeyed him and lay down on the bed, Gadget stood up.

He had to lean quickly against the bed post because he had put his cane aside, but as he stood there and looked down at her he knew he didn't have to worry about his weakness or his scars because none of that mattered; he understood who he was now, who he had always been - and at this moment that understanding took him right back to the day he had lost his own virginity, too.

The wiring that had been so over active had calmed down and been much easier to control since he had enjoyed the attentions of the women who had prepared him for this meeting, but Gadget knew he was fully aroused now and he gave no thought to his scars or the fact that Ivy had never been with a man before, let alone a heavily modified cyborg, he knew it didn't matter.

He untied the robe he was wearing and let it fall to the ground.

Ivy's gaze wandered over his body, she took in the firmness of it, saw his scars, the living proof of his courage and all he had faced on the path his life had taken. She saw so much in his eyes that silently conveyed the wisdom he held now he knew the truth of his destiny, and then her gaze wandered over his body again and she saw flesh and living metal, micro chips and humanity all unified for the first time in Gadget, the first cyborg.

And then he pulled at the ribbon that held her gown together and as the fabric began to slide, he pushed it away, letting it fall as he took in the sight of her perfect body, such a contrast with his own, she was unblemished, unscarred and undamaged.

Then Gadget lay beside her and ran his fingers through her hair.

"_You're very beautiful."_ He said softly, and then he drew her into his arms and began to kiss her and run his hands over her, determined to take his time as he slowly and gently caressed her.

* * *

Taylor Braydon sat on the edge of the bath with wonder in his eyes as the mermaid beside him slowly moved her flipper about in the water.

He watched as her tail moved and swished and then he remembered the tail of the submarine hitting first his rowing boat and then the fishing boat.

"I didn't know for sure that mermaids lived in the river. Now I know I'll be really careful out there. I won't use a spear gun _ever _again!"

Magnet spoke up on hearing that.

"A spear gun? _Some idiot fired one at the Sea dragon a few days ago_..."

Taylor's face grew hot as he avoided his brother's gaze.

"Um... really? That was dumb of them, how could they not know a big fish made of metal and held together by rivets is a _submarine_..."

And then he looked back at the mermaid.

"So yes, like you just said, people don't have tails. We don't _need_ to live in water." Taylor informed her, and then he smiled.

"You're really lucky my brother found you – he's kind, he'll let you go and swim away, but a lot of people wouldn't do that. You could have wound up getting captured and taken to shore and... and... put in a zoo, or something like that."

And the woman in the mermaid costume smiled as she glanced at Magnet, who also smiled as he looked at his not too bright brother and then turned away, watching dark water flow beyond the window as Taylor continued to believe he was talking to a genuine mermaid.

Taylor looked at her thoughtfully and then asked her a question:

"So do you have a treasure chest on your sunken pirate ship where you live?"

"Yes I do." She told him.

"And can you take pearls out of oysters and do you turn them into necklaces?"

"I do that all the time."

"Is _that_ where pearl necklaces come from?" Taylor wondered, _"Because I've always wondered if they got made by mermaids."_

As Magnet watched the water flowing beyond the window, he saw his brother reflected in the darkened glass as he looked in wonder at the woman who he believed to be a mermaid and listened as she explained how mermaids made pearl necklaces.

Magnet rarely thought about the past except to remind himself that he had a new life now and he intended to live it with purpose and to do good in the world instead of bad, but as he watched his brother he thought about the past, the years that had been wasted, and the fact that he now had a chance to make up for those lost years.

He was glad he'd found his brother again and he knew for sure he would _never_ allow them to get separated again; Taylor was such a great guy. He hadn't seen it when he was younger, then he had just been his big, dumb older brother who was always telling him to behave better – but he could see it now, his brother was a great guy and now he had found him again he was thankful he had this second chance to know him and come back into his life and be a part of it once more – _and this time, he wouldn't mess up, this time he would appreciate him..._

* * *

Ivy felt weak in Gadget's arms as he held her.

She gave a gasp and cried out as her face flushed and her body trembled and as he slid his hand back upwards he rested it for a moment on her belly as she breathed hard; she was still in the grip of her first experience reaching the heights of pleasure and the sensation of his gentle, patient touch had overwhelmed her.

She fell limp as he held her, then he shifted position so that he was close enough and he could feel the heat from her body as she breathed hard and her heart pounded.

Her eyes were still glazed from the experience.

"_I think you're ready now."_ Gadget whispered, kissing her briefly.

She weakly clung to him.

"_Yes...be inside me, Sentinel..."_ She murmured, and Gadget watched her flushed face, looked into her darkened eyes, then slowly but firmly took her, joining their bodies as one.

Ivy cried out and clung to him harder and Gadget moved against her slowly and gently.

"Is this hurting you?" He asked her softly.

"_No..."_ Came her breathless reply.

He felt her tremble beneath him and as she looked into his eyes he thought about how he was taking her innocence and his own self control became harder to handle.

"_I have to be a little less gentle now."_ He whispered_,"I'm sorry, this won't take long..."_

And he cautiously moved harder, the rhythm picking up as her body moved with him; she gasped and held on as Gadget's movements became more urgent. She gave a sharp cry at the suddenness of his final thrust, but then as he held her he took in a deep breath, locked against her for that final moment of uncontrollable bliss, then he closed his eyes and let the pleasure flood through his body and as it faded he shifted back, gently separating from her as she lay there getting her breath back.

After a few moments she opened her eyes and looked up at the mirrored ceiling, seeing herself reflected naked beside the equally naked cyborg whose microchips illuminated his chest.

Gadget turned his head and met her gaze.

"Was that how you expected it to be?" He wondered.

Ivy smiled.

"No." She replied honestly, "It was even better!"

And Gadget laughed softly and so did she, then she moved closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder.

"_Thank you Sentinel."_ She said as she looked into his eyes.

Gadget smiled.

"I think under the circumstances you should call me _Gadget._" He told her warmly "Because that's what all my friends call me."

"Gadget," Ivy said, "I am a woman now. I can take my place as minister for the Kindred. "

And she turned on her side and ran her hand down his micro chips before looking up at him again.

"As minister for the church in Cyborg City the same rules apply as any other Kindred. I can marry if I so wish. _I would like to marry you._"

Gadget looked at her kindly, knowing there was no easy way to let her down on that:

"I _am_ married. In my culture people only have _one_ partner - Penny would _never_ be able to accept me taking a second wife."

And she looked into his eyes and he saw sadness reflected in her own as she spoke again.

"Because we are a small community we are encouraged to find life partners and have children to increase the size of our population and to spread our culture. I would have liked to bear the children of the Sentinel."

Gadget couldn't help but smile as he thought about his past:

_Lula, G2, Penny..._

"Three women have given birth to my children and I have a daughter by each of them. _And_ I have an adopted daughter called Grace, she's the child of Alicia Lazarus - and I also have a stepson called Maxie with my wife Penny – I _have_ enough children, Ivy!"

And Gadget looked up thoughtfully at the mirror above the bed that reflected them laying side by side.

"But this was special." He told her, turning his head and looking into Ivy's eyes, "What we just shared, _why_ we shared it – I'll always remember this."

"So will I." She replied, and the two of them lay together quietly on the bed, while the mirror reflected nothing but their own silence and eyes that drifted off into thoughts past this night and past this room and this moment.

* * *

_Taylor was still talking to the mermaid._

His eyes were wide as he listened to her stories of life beneath the waves.

"So how did you get out of the fisherman's net?"

"I called to a dolphin and he chewed a hole in the net and I swam to freedom." She replied.

_"Wow!"_ Taylor exclaimed.

Then Magnet checked his watch.

"We'd better get going now, Bro – the mermaid has to go back to the river."

Taylor's eyes lit up.

"I could put you back in the river!"

The woman in the mermaid costume stared at him.

"Oh no, it's okay...I'll swim out later."

"But me and my brother could take the sub down the river, then turn it and head east and take you way out to sea...I could drop you off on the sea bed if you like!"

"No, that's okay." She said again, "I'll make my own way out later...when I've had a little rest and soaked my flipper in the water for a while longer."

"Okay." Taylor replied, sounding a little disappointed.

Then the mermaid smiled.

"Before you go, I have something for you. Come a little closer..."

Taylor leaned closer.

"What is it?" He wondered.

And the mermaid kissed his cheek.

"Thank you for being such great company for me tonight." She said.

Taylor's face turned bright red as he touched the place on his cheek where he had been kissed by a real, live mermaid.

"That's okay. I enjoyed meeting you..." He said shyly.

Magnet laughed softly as he opened the door.

He glanced back at the woman in the mermaid costume, mouthing _Thanks_, before calling to his brother.

"Come on Taylor," He said, "We'd better be getting back now – _Gadget might be getting lonely_."

And Taylor said goodbye to the mermaid and hurried from the room, because as much as he was thrilled to spend time with a real live mermaid, it mattered to him _much_ more to know that Gadget wasn't getting lonely...

* * *

Gadget had returned to his room and put on his bathrobe and now he was lying on his bed just as he had been before he left to meet with Ivy.

There was still a trace of scented oil in the air and his skin smelled of the lotion the two women had gently stroked onto his skin and catching the scent of it brought erotic images flashing through his mind all over again, but he pushed those thoughts aside because he knew eventually he would get back to that three in a bed scenario with Penny and Lula- _why_ did it have to be Lula?

He didn't want to think about that ever again; he had slept with Ivy for a reason higher than sex, although Taylor would not have seen it that way, Taylor would not have been able to see beyond the act itself and aside from crude jokes, there was a real risk that he might say the wrong thing in front of other people – worst of all, maybe in front of Penny – so Gadget had made sure he had been kept out of the situation.

But all the same, he felt sure this would be the only time in his life he would _ever_ lie to Taylor Braydon, because the man was his best friend and in a friendship where love went so deep there simply wasn't room for dishonesty...

Then Taylor came back into the room with Magnet, who briefly smiled at Gadget and then left again.

As he closed the door, Taylor walked over to Gadget's bed and sniffed at the air like a dog picking up on a strange scent.

"It smells _weird_ in here!" He exclaimed.

"Must be my skin cream." Gadget replied.

Taylor sat down on the edge of the bed and leaned up close to Gadget, sniffing at his neck.

Then he pulled his robe aside, sniffing his shoulder too.

Taylor shifted back sharply.

"Gadget, you smell like you've been fooling around in a brothel!"

He laughed nervously.

"I don't know what you mean."

"That smell, it's like_ cheap hookers perfume._.."

And then Gadget realised the smell of the oil was still lingering on his skin, reminding him sharply of the two women who had given him such an erotic massage.

"I only had a massage done by a couple of people who work for Gears." He told him, "It was just to loosen up my back."

Taylor thought no more about it.

Then he frowned as he remembered something.

"We should leave tomorrow. There's something I forgot to do, but I can't remember what it is...I know I need to do it soon..."

"Well I think Gears will be happy to let me go home tomorrow." Gadget told him, "What did you forget to do?"

Taylor had just remembered – he hadn't called Quimby to tell him about Coral's plans at Neurotech. While had avoided having the chip fitted, there were many people walking around with a hidden command in their head and it was due to activate soon..._very soon_...he just hoped that she hadn't spotted the fact that he had used his knowledge of ASCII to change _KILL _to something harmless...

"Oh it's nothing." He said quietly, hoping he could avoid raising the subject when Gadget had been so sick because he didn't need anything to worry him right now –more than that, he didn't want to look incompetent in front of him.

He was sure he could go back to the surface with Gadget and see the Chief and then go over to Neurotech and –_No!_ Taylor suddenly realized that wouldn't work – _Gadget was still recovering; Gears had said he couldn't go back to active duty._..

This only meant one thing:

_Deputy Braydon would have to wrap up the case on his own..._

Gadget had spotted that Taylor seemed to be in a world of his own, he looked drifted far off into his own thoughts.

"Taylor?" He said, "Is something the matter?"

He shook his head and smiled.

"Nothing, Gadget. Don't you worry about a thing! There's nothing wrong...nothing I can't handle!"

Gadget hadn't given much thought to Taylor's remark.

He understood so much more about his own purpose in life now, he understood why Ivy had chosen him and he knew his role stretched far beyond that of being the Inspector known as Gadget.

But even knowing he was part of the Steel Trinity didn't move him as much as the realization that had dawned on him as the truth had been explained - _he had come to Amaryllis as a dying man and had his life restored and like may others who had come here before him, he had learned a new personal truth and it was something he could only share with one person:_

He would share it with Penny when he returned home, because she would understand _exactly_ what he was talking about...

As he thought of his wife his heart ached as he reminded himself that he had been intimate with Ivy for the right reasons and none of them had been sexually motivated. It was difficult, he could see that, being someone of such great importance had placed him in a position to make a hard decision, but that decision had been made for reasons he saw as just and he felt no guilt, but all the same, he knew when he saw his wife again, he would want to hold her forever and never let go, because she was the other piece of his heart and always would be.

"Have you got Magnet's phone?"

Taylor handed it to him.

As he thought about her again, he felt warm in his heart.

"I'm going to call Penny."

Taylor smiled.

"I need to call Evie and tell her about the mermaid!"

Gadget heard him but his attention was on the phone now.

It rang several times and Penny answered the call.

Gadget smiled as he looked at Taylor; he knew Penny's reaction would be one of joy as soon as she heard him speak and knew he sounded just like the man he used to be once more.

"Hi Penny." He said warmly, "Gadget here. I'm just letting you know I'm coming home tomorrow."

And Penny gave a squeal of delight and Gadget laughed as his eyes sparkled.

"Oh Gadget I can't _wait_ to have you home again! Are you sure you're okay to leave so soon?"

Gadget thought about it.

"Well I'm cured, so you don't have to worry about losing me any more, that's not going to happen. My spine's been fixed all the wiring is sound and he even fixed the internal wiring to my pelvis - so I don't need an external pipe any more. So it's all good news."

Penny fell silent for a moment.

"You mean you...I mean..._we_ can..."

Gadget laughed softly

"That's right – I've got normal function at last in the place where I've _always_ wanted it the most!"

And then his smile faded.

"But I _have_ got some scarring because I need donor metal- so there's a big scar down all the way down my back, you can't see most of the scars on my head because Gears was kind enough to operate and keep most of my hair intact...but I've got a metal plate at the back of my head. It's not a big thing; it's just there to boost my wiring naturally so the power flow stays even to my brain. It's there forever, but it's shiny and it looks nice!"

Gadget had sounded happy up until this point, but then his voice dropped a little as he told her the part he didn't want to think about:

"Oh, and by the way - from now on I need a cane. It's not a major problem; I just need to lean on it a little bit..."

Penny sounded emotional as she spoke again.

"_Gadget, I don't care about the cane. And I don't care how much extra metal you've had to gain to get through this. I'm just thankful I still have my husband."_

And Gadget knew she was wasn't a thousand miles away; he was at the base at the bottom of the river and she was up there on the surface, just a short drive away from the water's edge – but at that moment, the distance that held them apart felt like a chasm and it made his heart ache and his eyes sting with tears.

"Kiss the kids for me." He said, "Tell them I'm better now and I'll be home _very_ soon. _I love you, Penny_."

"I love you too." She said tearfully.

Gadget hung up, he wiped his eyes and looked at Taylor.

As he saw the redness in his best friend's eyes, Taylor's eyes also glazed over with tears.

"_Gimme the phone, I want to speak to Evie! I miss her! I miss the Taylor Tots too!"_

And Taylor grabbed the phone from him.

Gadget looked sympathetically at his best friend as he called home; Taylor had been so caught up in worrying about him, but now he was okay his thoughts were turning to home and he knew that guy couldn't stand to be away from Evie and the kids any longer than he had to be.

But watching Taylor talk on the phone soon eased the ache in Gadget's own heart; it was hard to stay sad and pining for Penny when he was watching Taylor's eyes light up excitedly as he spoke to his wife.

"I love and miss you and I'm coming home tomorrow!" He said joyfully, jumping up and down with glee as he spoke, "And Gadget's going home too – he's well enough to leave. And Penny knows, he just called her. And guess what.._.I saw a real live mermaid! _A _real _one! I spoke to her! She lives in a shipwreck! It was _so_ exciting, Evie!"

And then his smile faded.

"_I can't wait to come home. I miss you and the Taylor Tots."_

And Taylor listened as Evie spoke.

Gadget watched Taylor listening, smiling as Taylor smiled too.

"I'm looking forward to coming home so _very_ much!" He exclaimed, _"I love you a billion trillion times more than you love me - times infinity! There you go Evie, you can't beat that..."_

He laughed as Evie laughed too.

"I love you." Taylor said again, "Okay...tell Jimmie and Ollie I'll be home soon...bye..."

And he ended the call and smiled brightly at Gadget.

"This is great!" He said excitedly, "One more night here and then we're _both_ going home!"

And Gadget smiled, happy to see the light back in his best friend's eyes, but also happy for his own situation – he had come here a dying man and he was going home completely cured... it couldn't get better than that, it made thoughts of needing that cane seem almost insignificant; he was getting it into perspective now; _Gadget knew he had his life back and that was what mattered most of all..._

* * *

After a peaceful night's sleep, Gadget got up early and leaned on his cane with a little less of a struggle as he made his way to the bathroom and then showered, and by the time he was getting dressed, Taylor was just waking up.

Taylor sat up on the couch and blinked sleepy eyes and ran his fingers through his messy hair.

"What are we doing today?" He wondered sleepily,"Something's great about today... What _is_ it?"

And then all sign of sleep was knocked out of him as he remembered and his face lit up with a big smile.

"_Oh yeah! Were going home!"_

And Gadget , who was busy straightening his tie as he looked into the mirror while he sat at the dresser, started to smile.

"Yes we are. Gears is coming with us because he needs to inform Chief Quimby about his people coming to the surface..."

And Gadget paused.

He frowned as he looked at his reflection; he was in his suit and trench coat and he still _looked_ like Inspector Gadget, but he knew he wouldn't be a police inspector for much longer...

Gadget ran his hand over his dark hair, trying to cover the visible scarring as much as he could, and then he put on his hat.

He turned his head and noticed the back of his hairline finished higher than it used to because the metal plate was fixed beneath it. But the plate was small and gleamed as all living metal did, with a mirror shine.

_"I can get used to that."_ He remarked.

Taylor was stumbling into the bathroom to grab a shower and wake himself up properly.

"Hurry up Taylor!" Gadget called out, "Gears said the sub's taking us back up to the surface at nine a.m. They're sliding the front of the craft ashore in the shallows where they picked us up so that we can just drive off to dry land in the Gadget Mobile. Are you listening to me, Taylor?"

"Yeah, I won't be long!" He called back.

And Gadget fell silent as he looked at his own reflection: He was still Gadget- and yet he knew there was so much more.

_He was also the Sentinel._

_And his time spent at Amaryllis with the Kindred had opened his mind and his soul to a truth he had been unaware of for a very long time, a truth about himself, about something he had thought lost that never had been lost..._

_He thought of Penny._

He knew as soon as he saw her he would put his arms around her and tell her what he now understood to be the truth:

_He had left her as Inspector Gadget, but he was returning as much more than Gadget, and only Penny could understand that..._


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Gears stood beside Gadget as he got back into the car. As he closed the door the sound echoed around the hollow interior of the mouth of the Sea Dragon and the Gadget Mobile woke up.

_"Gadget!"_ The car exclaimed, _"It's so good to see you again!"_

And as he saw the joy in the eyes of the computerised face on the screen in front of him, Gadget smiled.

"It's good to see you too, Gadget Mobile. And Mr Gears has fixed me - I'm recovered now."

The car was saying how happy it was to have him back, but Gadget's thoughts were elsewhere as Taylor got into the car beside him.

Gadget fell silent and ran his hand over the base of his skull, brushing against the living metal that would be there forever to keep his strengthened wiring working properly.

Then he glanced down at the cane he had placed next to his seat.

Gears was still beside the door and he noticed the doubt in Gadget's eyes.

"Don't worry. You can go back and get on with your life now."

Gadget looked at him sadly.

"But I won't have my job any more. I won't be Inspector Gadget."

"_Maybe you could move to Amaryllis."_

And he said those words, Gears instantly regretted them. The thought of Gadget leaving brought a lump to his throat and he knew it was because Gadget had got through everything because he wanted to go home to his family; he had survived for them...

"I can't do that." Gadget told him, "Penny wouldn't want to live away from the sunshine – and the kids are happy at school. It just wouldn't work."

"Well maybe you'll come and visit again." Gears said hopefully, "I'll be moving to Cyborg City with the others, but the base will stay open and I'll still be working down here some of the time. I'm hoping when Lula sees the report on your treatment she will be _very_ keen for her people to work with mine."

Gadget nodded.

"That sounds good to me."

Then Gears smiled.

"It's not goodbye yet." He reminded him, "I'm coming over to see Quimby to explain about my people moving to Cyborg City."

"_I need to see Quimby too."_ Gadget said quietly, and then he fell silent and stayed deep in thought as he wondered what life would be like when he was no longer Inspector.

"We're about to leave." Gears told him, "I'll see you when we get back to the surface, it's better if you wait here in the car, I'd rather you were resting."

Gadget gave a sigh.

"I know I have to take it easy!"

"Don't worry, Gears!" The car chimed in, "I'll make sure he rests – _I'm_ doing the driving today!"

As Gears left the room and headed off for the main part of the sub, Taylor looked around the hold and blinked, feeling sure he saw a shadow move...then he looked again and saw nothing and dismissed the idea.

"Maybe Quimby will let you keep your job." He said hopefully.

Gadget shook his head.

"_That won't happen."_

The submarine's engines powered up and the docking area outside began to fill with water.

"Oh wow!" Taylor said excitedly, "We're about to get moving!"

And Gadget said no more as the world outside flooded, and then the Sea Dragon slid out into the depths.

* * *

After the short journey up the river to the shallows, Gears stayed beside Magnet as they used the periscope to check the coast was clear, then he watched as Magnet drew closer to land, until the mouth of the Sea Dragon was resting high on the bank that led to the road.

"Okay, you can open the doors now." He told him.

And Gears patted Magnet's shoulder.

"I'll see you tomorrow when you start the first of many journeys to bring the others to the surface."

Magnet paused.

He thought of Taylor but guessed there was no time to say goodbye; it didn't really matter because tomorrow he would be leaving the underwater base forever and he would be joining his brother in Riverton – Taylor had already asked him to come and stay at the Braydon mansion while he got used to living above ground again.

"See you soon." He said to his best friend, "Be careful too, you don't know how the outsiders will react to us."

Gears laughed and shook his head.

"Have faith. You always listen to me but you forget Lazarus promised us that our people will find a home in Cyborg City."

Magnet nodded; he knew this was the truth.

Then he hugged Gears briefly and let him go.

"See you soon."

"Tomorrow." Gears reminded him, then he headed back down the ladder that led to the hold where his bike was chained against the wall.

* * *

As Gears unchained his bike, the mouth of the Sea Dragon opened up.

Taylor smiled as he saw sunlight and a straight run onto dry land.

The Gadget Mobile fired up its engine.

Gadget sat there looking at the bank of Riverton River, they were a short distance from the road and the fresh air that came into the hold was warm and sweet and reminded him that it was good to be alive - _even if he wouldn't be a police inspector for much longer..._

Gears put on his helmet and got on the bike.

"I'm heading straight over to the police department to talk to Quimby – then I'm going to show your files to Lula." He said to Gadget, "She needs to see the way our technologies can work together and I've got the evidence on file – everything I fixed to save your life. She'll want to see that."

_"Wait..."_

As Taylor spoke up, both men looked at him.

"What?" Gadget wondered.

_Taylor was thinking about Coral Devonshire's plan. He was thinking that maybe she had spotted his change of command in the master control and...if she'd changed it back, he had a matter of hours to warn Quimby that the town was about to descend into chaos...if his plan had failed, there were cyborgs out there with KILL commands implanted in malware they didn't even know they carried..._

Suddenly he wished he'd made that call to Quimby days ago... if only he'd _thought_ about it!

_But he knew thinking wasn't his strong point..._

"I'm going with Gears." He said to Gadget, "We'll go to the Police Department together, I can help him explain about the Kindred."

And he looked at his best friend and thought about how much he had been through.

"You speak to the Chief later on. Go home and see Penny first."

At the mention of her name the look in Gadget's eyes softened; Taylor was right, duty could wait a bit longer, especially as he knew he was out of a job any way...

"Okay, I'll do that. I'll be over to see Quimby this afternoon." Gadget replied.

Taylor got out of the car.

"See you soon." He said to Gadget.

"That's it!" The Gadget Mobile exclaimed, "I've had _enough_ of running my engine and sitting around...we're _out _of here G Man, I'm taking you home!"

And the car drove out of the mouth of the Sea Dragon and crossed the top of the bank, turning onto the open road.

* * *

As the Gadget Mobile drove off, Gears looked up at Taylor.

"What's _really_ going on?"

Taylor knew at once that it wasn't easy to fool Gears.

"Well, I'm not sure if I've got the situation contained at Neurotech. I mean, if Coral's checked the commands in the main computer, she'll find out I took out the _KILL_ command. She might have put it back. We need to get over there and stop her."

"Why don't we just go to Quimby right now?"

"Because he'll put a call out to all units – _including_ the Gadget Mobile. I want to keep Gadget out of this; he's got to take things easy."

Gears nodded.

"Then I guess it's down to us."

"Us?" Taylor exclaimed, "You're coming along?"

Gears smiled.

"_With back up."_

And he blew on the tin whistle that hung around his neck.

As the big black panther with the clockwork plate fitted behind her ear jumped out of the shadow, Taylor climbed on to the bike behind Gears and hung on to his jacket tightly.

"Are you sure about this?"

Gears laughed.

"Don't worry about Ursula; she'll follow on. She _loves_ to chase things!"

And then he slammed down his visor and started up the bike.

As they drove out and reached dry land, the panther leapt out of the Sea Dragon, and as the bike turned onto the road, she waited.

Gears looked back at her, crouched at the side of the road half hidden by bushes.

"I _knew_ you stowed away!" He said to her, "You never like Daddy leaving you behind!"

And the panther watched him playfully.

He turned back to the road ahead.

"_Hang on."_ Gears told Taylor, then he revved up the engine and as the clockwork bike thundered off up the road, Taylor clung on to Gears, looking back with wide eyes as he saw Ursula moving like a black glossy blur, following them all the way.

* * *

"It's good to have you back." The Gadget Mobile said warmly as they drove on towards home, "Penny's going to be _so_ happy to see you again!"

At the mention of Penny's name, Gadget smiled as warmth shone in his eyes.

"I know." He replied, "And I have so much to tell her...I just can't wait to be with her again!"

And the fields sped past like a blur and the closer he got to home, the more Gadget thought about what he had learned:

_It was a truth about himself that only Penny could understand_.

_He had gone to Amaryllis as Inspector Gadget, he had learned he was the Sentinel - and he had also learned something else, something that would stay with him for the rest of his days and would ever bring him joy..._

_He had much to tell her._

And those thoughts stayed silently locked in his heart as the car drove closer to home, because this was something he could only ever share with Penny, because she was a part of his heart and this was something that was locked firmly inside that heart, beating as held the truth inside it with the same steadiness that the mechanical side of it did- the truth was in there and always had been but he had only just come to understand that...

Suddenly his worries about losing his job were far from his mind, because he was about to see Penny again and he knew exactly what he needed to tell her...

_The house was in sight now; soon she would know all that he needed to share with her..._

* * *

Hope was sleeping and Maxie was at school.

Penny had tried to keep busy by tidying her son's room and then cleaning a kitchen that didn't need cleaning – she was running out of ways to pass the time while she waited to hear from Gadget.

He had told her he was coming home today but he hadn't given a time and as she waited she felt as if every minute crawled by so slowly it seemed like time was grinding to a halt.

Penny went out to the hallway and ran her fingers through her long, honey colored hair, then she went outside and walked around the side of the house, where the garden was bright and the flowers were blooming - but today she could see none of the beauty around her because as she leaned against the small gate that divided this part of the house off from the rose garden beyond; all she could think about was Gadget.

Home didn't seem like a real place without him, _nothing_ seemed right when there was an ache and a space left hollow in her heart caused by his absence.

_Penny was lost in her thoughts._

He had parked the Gadget Mobile around the back and as he walked into the garden he saw her there; she had her back to him, she was looking off in the direction of the roses as her thoughts stretched further than the garden and he smiled because he knew why.

Gadget walked towards her, leaning lightly on his cane as he approached her.

He didn't take his eyes off her:

She was still beautiful and slender even though she was older now and her hips had become broader since the birth of her second child, their child. He knew as he reached her he wanted to hold onto her and never let go.

"_Penny..."_

She turned around, catching her breath as saw Gadget standing behind her.

She looked at him, wanting to be sure this wasn't a daydream because her heart had been aching and she had been longing for this moment so desperately:

Yes, it _was _Gadget.

He looked slightly pale and he was leaning lightly on a cane, but he looked so much better than when she had last seen him, he looked tired, as if he had been through an ordeal, but he didn't look sick any more... he was standing there in his trench coat and hat and as he smiled he turned his head slightly and indicated to the small metal plate fixed to the back of his head.

"I'm fixed." He promised her, "I'm going to be okay."

And Penny's eyes filled with tears.

"Have you missed me?" He said warmly, and Penny slid her arms around him, embracing him, she was kissing him as her tears fell and then clinging to him again, inhaling his familiar scent of oil and perspiration as she reassured herself that he really _was_ home again.

Their kiss deepened and that kiss lingered as they stood there beside the gate while the scent of the roses carried over on a warm breeze.

Then Gadget pulled back and looked into her eyes.

_"I need to tell you something."_

He ran his hand over Penny's hair and his gaze stayed fixed onto hers.

"Things have changed for me. I went away as Inspector Gadget, I was a dying man and Gears gave me my life back. His people are the Amaryllis Kindred, those rumours about the base under the water are all true! And I've left that place and come back to you as a _very _different man, Penny."

As he held her she saw the sparkle in his eyes and heard the warmth in his voice and she knew what ever he was about to tell her would be amazing, because he spoke as a man who had seen wonders, who had discovered something that had changed his life...

"What do you mean?" She said in a hushed voice.

Gadget's eyes shone with joy as he gripped her tighter.

"I'm not _just_ Gadget." He told her, "I thought the man I used to be was lost forever but he's _not_, he's still inside me, he's still in my heart and my soul he's _still _a part of me – I never knew it, I just didn't know how to find it again – _but I'm still him, I'm still John Brown...I always have been and I always will be. No amount of metal in my flesh and bones can ever take that away, I'm still him."_

And Penny's eyes filled with tears of joy as she saw the happiness in her husband's eyes.

"I love you so much." She said softly, and then she embraced him and he pulled her close and they kissed again, deeply and passionately.

Gadget pulled sharply back and laughed.

"Slow down – I'm getting a bit excited...everything _works_ now, Penny!"

And she took him by the hand as her other hand slipped inside his trench coat and moved downwards, causing him to catch his breath.

Her eyes sparkled playfully.

"Come on Inspector," She said warmly, "You've been through a lot...it's time to put you to bed, honey..."

"Only if you're coming too."

"Well you won't be up there on your own!" She giggled, and then she kept a tight grip on his hand and the two of them walked back towards the house, briefly lingering in the garden to share another kiss.

* * *

As the bike slipped through the buckled part of the wire fence at the back of Neurotech, Gears skilfully steered around trees and shrubbery, heading for an open side door.

Taylor closed his eyes and hung on to him as there was a _bump_ and the bike crossed over into the building, and then he gave a yell as they began to bump down steep steps into gloom at a dizzying pace.

"_I want to get off this thing!"_ He cried in fright, but then the bike hit the cellar floor and they were on a smooth surface, heading toward a wide open elevator.

Taylor screamed as the elevator slid closer, feeling sure they were about to crash into the wall once they were inside it.

But the wheels bumped as they crossed in and the bike turned sharply and Gears took a couple of deep breaths as they both sat there as the engine hummed.

Taylor was breathless.

He ran his hand over messed up hair and looked wide-eyed at Gears.

"What now?"

Gears flipped up his visor.

"_Wait."_

He blew on the tin whistle and the panther padded up to the elevator.

Gears pointed to a stairway.

"_Up."_ He instructed, "Up to the top, okay? _Go._.."

And Taylor stared in amazement as Ursula began to prowl towards the stairway.

"How does she know what you're saying?"

"I told you, she's intelligent. It's partly because Coral Devonshire tortured her with her experiments. _I sure hope we get to the top before Ursula does. I'm not sure what she might do when she sees Coral again._"

And then he reached over and hit the button for the top floor and the elevator began to climb.

* * *

Gadget's hands trembled as he ran them impatiently over Penny's body.

They hadn't even made it upstairs; Gadget had reached the hallway and then pulled her into the front room, falling to his knees and pulling her to the carpet as he tossed aside his cane and ripped open his trench coat and tugged impatiently at his zip as he kissed her and didn't want to stop.

Her hands were sliding over him and he was on top of her and they rolled on the carpet, her skirt up to her waist and her underwear on the floor as he pinned her down and looked into her eyes as he breathed heavily.

"I've missed you, Penny... I _know_ I'm home now..."

And he gripped her harder, unable to hold back any longer.

This wasn't like the careful love making he had shared with Ivy; this was real, this was passionate, it was what love was like and should be like, two people desperate to join their bodies together because to have been apart for so long had been unbearable for both of them.

Penny was breathless now as he moved against her, Gadget closed his eyes and lost himself in thoughts of being back where he belonged, with the woman he loved in the best way that he could be, and this time there was no waiting, no delays, no need for external stimulation to kick start his rebuilt body.

It felt natural; just the way it should...

"_I'm...so... glad... I'm home... I love you, Penny!"_

Gadget had gasped in between words as he couldn't hold back from losing control and as he gave a sharp cry and held her tightly his body shook, and then he slumped on top of her breathless.

She clung to him satisfied, smiling as she recovered breathing hard:

_Yes, he was back now - all she could smell was the scent of sweat and oil, the scent of her husband and lover: sweat and oil, the scent of Inspector Gadget..._

* * *

As the bike fired up again Taylor grabbed hold of Gear's leather jacket and clung on.

The bike shot out through the open doors, roaring down the corridor as it headed for Coral's private office.

As the bike skidded to a sharp halt it swerved and Taylor jerked sideways, but regained his balance and breathlessly stared with wide eyes.

_"We're too late..."_

Coral was walking down the corridor towards them, and she was armed and the gun was aimed right at them.

"I'm calling security." She announced, "So you won't be getting any further..._whoever_ you are!"

Taylor got off the bike and reached for his badge.

_"Riverton Police – drop your weapon, you're under arrest –"_

There was a boom and a flash and the impact of the bullet hit Taylor and knocked him sideways.

He gave a cry of pain as he hit the wall and as Coral fired again Taylor slid to the floor as Gears dived from the bike and covered him.

Gears could feel Taylor trembling.

Taylor felt weak and dizzy as pain started to take over his thoughts.

He concentrated on his internal radio and watched the message at the back of his eye to confirm it was now on.

"_All units...urgent back up...officer down..."_ He whispered.

Then he closed his eyes and tried to breathe deeply to cope with the agony that ran through his wounded body.

Coral stood over the two men, jabbing the biker in the shoulder with the gun.

"Show me your face..."

As she stepped back, Gears removed his crash helmet, but kept his head down.

"I said, _show me who you are!_" Coral demanded sharply.

Gears hesitated, then raised his hands so she could see he was unarmed- and then he finally raised his head.

Coral's face paled as she knew him at once.

"_Professor Byron?"_ She said in a shocked voice as the gun trembled in her hands, _"But...You're dead..."_

Coral was so shocked to see him again that at first, she didn't wonder why he had a tin whistle to his lips.

Gears took in a breath and blew sharply.

Coral was still staring at him.

Then her gaze shifted to the blur that raced up the corridor, as Ursula leapt through the air she had no time to squeeze the trigger.

The big cat slammed her to the ground and the gun slipped from her grasp.

Gears jumped up and grabbed the gun, training it on Coral Devonshire, who was gasping for breath as the panther pinned her down and she looked at the big cat with terrified eyes.

Ursula snarled.

"_I think she remembers you."_ Gears said.

Taylor staggered to his feet and took a step forward.

"I don't get it...I'm hit but I'm not bleeding..."

Gears briefly indicated to the bullet holes in his brown leather jacket.

"You were lucky. The bullet's hit your upper arm and bounced off – _it's just a couple of dents in your cybernetic arm_..."

Taylor's eyes widened in shock as he gripped at his precious man metal.

Gears looked down at Ursula.

"Let go." He said calmly.

The panther looked at him and snarled again, turning back to Coral and glaring into her eyes.

"Ursula..." Gears whispered, "Thou shalt not kill..._let go_."

And the panther climbed off her and as she breathed in a lungful of air, Gears grabbed Coral and dragged her to her feet, then he let go, but kept the gun firmly trained on her.

"You're too late." She said in a shaken voice, "I found out what Taylor did – he changed the command in my system from _Kill_ to _Kiss_. I changed it back. You can't stop it from happening."

Taylor checked his watch.

"There's still time. What's the code?"

She glared at him defiantly.

"By the time the malware kicks in this town will be in chaos, Deputy Braydon!"

And Taylor Braydon straightened up to his full height and glared at her.

As he stepped forward, her eyes widened.

She had no idea this big, dumb deputy could get so steaming mad..._Taylor Braydon was furious_.

He grabbed hold of her and marched her into her office, shoving her into her seat as he switched the computer on.

"_The code."_ He said menacingly, _"Now _– _and don't mess me around because if you do I'll feed you to that big cat myself!"_

Coral drew in a frightened breath.

Gears was standing in the doorway and Ursula sat beside him and as she looked at Coral, she licked her lips.

"_The code." _Taylor repeated, _"Open up that screen for me!"_

And as he leaned closer, there was a crazed look in his eyes.

"_No one dents my man metal and gets away with it!"_ He yelled.

* * *

Gadget was in Penny's arms in the front room on the carpet.

He laughed softly as he ran his fingers through her hair.

"I was just thinking... my shirt is open, my pants are down, I'm on the floor and I couldn't be happier! Oh, if Chief Quimby could see me now!"

And Penny laughed too.

Gadget's smile faded.

"I have to see Quimby later on, I guess after the way I've come out of this spinal procedure all I can really do is beg him to let me keep working in some way – but I don't think he'll let me do that, Gears said I have to leave active duty."

Then the Gadget Mobile's horn blared loudly several times.

"_Hey Gadget!"_ The car yelled out, _"Gadget, come to the window!"_

And Gadget gave a sigh.

"What now?" He complained as he reached for his cane and hauled himself to his feet.

Penny sat up and started to straighten up her clothing.

As Gadget reached the window he paused to pull his pants up properly and zip his fly, then he wondered why he was doing that _just_ to lean out of the window and speak to the Gadget Mobile...

"What?" He called out to the car.

"Gadget, I don't care _what_ you're in the middle of, but I just got an emergency call from Taylor's internal wire! _He said he was down, he was calling for backup!_"

"I'm on my way..."

Gadget paused to lean his cane against the wall as he tidied up his clothing and buckled his belt, then he grabbed his hat from the floor and hurriedly put on his trench coat.

Penny looked at him anxiously.

"Gadget, you're not allowed on active duty!"

But Gadget's mind was fixed on Taylor as he snatched up his cane and leaned heavily on it as he headed for the door.

"_I'm not off the force yet."_ He reminded Penny, and then he went outside and made his way as quickly as he could towards the Gadget Mobile.

* * *

Taylor Braydon was leaning over Corals desk and watching as she tapped in the code.

The screen came up and he read the altered ASCII command that she had changed once more.

"_Terminate the command." _He said coldly as he gripped his dented cyborg arm protectively.

Gears kept the gun trained on her as she hit the keys and the message flashed up: _Command Aborted._

Sirens were wailing outside as squad cars screeched to a halt.

Taylor grabbed Coral's arm and pulled her to her feet and he took handcuffs from his pocket.

As he turned her around and grabbed her wrists, he was still mad as hell that she had dented his cyborg arm.

"Coral Devonshire, I'm arresting you for..." He thought about it but couldn't find the right words, so he made them up:

"For putting bad stuff in cheap micro chips, for insulting cyborgs like _me_ by selling the crap in the first place, for trying to enter illegal kill codes to cause innocent cyborgs to commit murder all over the city...for being an all round bad person and... _most of all, for HURTING MY MAN METAL!_"

Then he thought some more.

"Oh yeah...um...you have the right to remain silent...um..._no_, actually, you _don't_ have the right to do _anything_ because _you_ dented my man metal! You hurt my masculine metal and you're busted, lady! _You're busted!_"

Taylor snapped the cuffs onto her wrists.

And suddenly his eyes lit up and he smiled as he looked at Gears.

"_I've done it!"_ He said joyfully, _"I've made my first arrest!"_

* * *

As the Gadget Mobile screeched to a halt, Gadget felt a jarring in his repaired spine and pain shot up the length of it, he clung onto the wheel and closed his eyes feeling like the pain that had bounced up into his head was about to split it open. Then he took in a deep breath as agony turned into an ache that throbbed and slowly subsided; he was dizzy as he got out of the car.

"Gadget?" The car said, "Are you _sure_ you're up for this?"

Gadget grabbed his cane and was thankful to be able to lean on it as he got his balance and blinked to clear vision that had momentarily been blurred by the suddenness of the pain. Gears was right; he needed to take it easy... but he didn't want to come off active duty, either...

"I'm fine Gadget Mobile," He replied, "Maybe I can cope if we _don't_ use the rocket boosters any more..."

And then he walked towards the building, leaning less on his cane as he regained his balance.

_And then he stopped:_

There were squad cars all over the place, cops were everywhere and..._Taylor_ was putting a handcuffed Coral Devonshire into a police car?

Chief Quimby was on the scene too – he was talking to Gears, briefly looking away now and then, smiling nervously at the tame panther who sat at his feet like an overgrown cat.

"_Nice kitty..."_ Quimby said cautiously, and then carried on talking to Gears.

"Gadget!" Taylor shouted joyfully as the car containing Coral Devonshire drove away without him, "Did you see that? I busted her! I've actually made an arrest!"

Gadget began to walk over to Taylor, but then he dashed forward to meet him like an exited, overgrown child as his eyes shone with happiness.

"I've done it!" Taylor exclaimed, "Me and Gears got into the building on his bike – and the panther came too! I made Coral abort the program that contained the KILL codes and then I arrested her!"

Gadget stared at him.

Then he noticed the bullet holes in his upper arm that had punctured his brown leather jacket and although it hadn't caused any blood or oil to leak out, he could see the damaged living metal beneath and the dents where the bullets had bounced off. He guessed it must have hurt at the time of impact but Taylor had been lucky; having two totally cybernetic arms had meant that his construction had enabled the bullets to glance off him.

"She shot you?"

Taylor looked down at the bullet holes.

"Yeah. But I'm starting to think, it looks kind of cool..."

Gadget laughed.

"You _like_ your battle damage?"

"I want to go home and show it to Evie!" He said excitedly.

Then Quimby walked over and joined the conversation.

"Gadget," He said warmly, "It's good to have you back. Mr Gears was telling me all about what's happened- and it's good to hear you're making a recovery. That really _is_ good news."

And Quimby looked Inspector Gadget, leaning on a cane as he stood in front of him, and he smiled as he patted his shoulder.

_"I really am happy that Mr Gears was able to fix you."_

It had just occurred to Gadget that Quimby was actually smiling at him. Then something _else_ occurred to him:

Quimby was looking at him so kindly, too...

"What _exactly_ did he tell you about my condition, Sir?"

Quimby saw a flicker of anxiety in Gadget's eyes.

"I know things have changed for you." He replied, "And we can discuss that later. Go home to Penny and don't worry about anything, we can do this tomorrow."

And then Quimby frowned.

"And I'll go back to the station and worry about how I'm going to deal with these Kindred people... Gears told me all about them... He's given me a list of all their names - _and_ their former names. Gadget, I don't know _how_ this is going to be dealt with – he told me a lot of them are missing people. Some of them have criminal records, some may still be wanted for offences...he said there's a few on the list..."

And he shook his head.

"He's got people who are wanted for theft, fraud, burglary, drugs offences, prostitution...and they lived under the water for a few years, changed their names and they think its okay to come back under an alias? I don't think the law can see it that way. This is going to take weeks to sort out!"

"But Sir, you don't understand, these people have changed their lives. They are followers of Lazarus..."

Quimby gave a sigh.

"It's not up to me to decide what's morally right or wrong here. I know that some of them, especially the ones on file as missing, probably had terrible lives they needed to get away from. But the law just..."

He shook his head again.

"_I just don't know."_

Gadget wondered what Gears would make of all this. He looked around but saw no sign of him.

"Where is he? Where's Gears?"

"He took off on his bike – and his pet panther swiftly followed him – he's going over to the cybernetics lab to show Lula your files and explain how he fixed you."

And Quimby looked at him thoughtfully.

"I must admit, I didn't personally think clockwork technology could ever work with modern cybernetics. But it obviously _can_, you're living proof of that now."

And then he looked at Taylor.

"And well done, Deputy Braydon. You were a real hero today."

Taylor smiled as his eyes shone with joy.

"I'm going home to tell Evie all about it!" He said proudly, "I'm a hero!"

And then he turned to his reflection in the windshield of a nearby squad car and ran his fingers through his hair. Then he noticed how the light reflected on the bullet holes on his jacket, showing two gleaming dents beneath it where the bullets had hit metal.

He reached into his jacket and took out his shades and put them on, then turned back to Gadget and Quimby.

"_I'll be back."_ Taylor said, doing his best to sound tough, and then he walked proudly towards a waiting squad car.

* * *

As Gadget smiled and watched him leave, he turned his head and even though he had his hat on, Quimby could clearly see the visible scars beneath his hairline, he also saw the metal plate fixed to the base of his skull and as Gadget looked back at him still leaning on his cane, he knew he wouldn't like what he was about to say, but it had to be said...

"Gadget, I _know_ you want to stay on active duty but we need to discuss the reality of that option. I know what you've been through, Gears told me everything. I have to tell you right now, after having your spine repaired and going through the brain surgery there's no way I can let you continue as you are."

Gadgets eyes filled with sadness.

"_But I can still do my job!"_

"I know that, of course you can. But you have to think about the cost to yourself in the long term, Gadget. You'll _always_ need that cane, you can't perform effectively on active duty...even using the rocket power on the Gadget Mobile could put you through hell."

Gadget fell silent; _he had already found that out for himself..._

"We'll talk tomorrow." Quimby promised him, "Come to my office at nine a.m. and we can figure something out."

"But Sir, all I've ever wanted is to be a crime fighter! I can't just _stop_ being Inspector Gadget - I don't want to hand my badge in, _please_ don't make me do that."

Quimby patted his shoulder again.

"Just go home to Penny. Enjoy being home again, don't worry about the future. I'll talk to you about this properly in the morning."

And Quimby turned and headed back to his own car, while Gadget stood alone beside the Gadget Mobile, wondering what life would be like from now on- he felt as if he had gained his life back but lost everything else:

_He had always been Inspector Gadget; he couldn't imagine life without the job he loved so very much..._


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Next morning came with bright sunshine and Gadget closed his eyes again, glad to be back in his own bed and next to the woman he loved, not wanting to get up or even _think_ about waking properly just yet; it was simply enough just to know that he was home once more.

He put his arm around Penny and gave a sigh, he wanted to go back to sleep, but it was too late now – he was awake and worries were crowding his mind again:

_He knew today was the day that the Kindred were joining the community here in Riverton, he also knew Chief Quimby was doubtful about allowing these people to live their new lives here, even though these were people who Lazarus had given a second chance...Quimby was not a believer in Lazarus; certainly he would not believe he was God in human form..._

Gadget didn't know _what_ would happen for the Kindred.

But he had a bigger worry on his mind right now:

_He had to go to see the Chief and beg him to let him keep his job..._

Gadget turned over, away from Penny because he needed to be alone with his thoughts as he lay there wondering how he could persuade the Chief to listen to him:

_He needed to persuade him that Gears and Lula were both wrong. _

_But he knew that wasn't the case at all._

_And he still didn't want to lose the job he loved so very much._

He had been a crime fighter for so long he couldn't imagine doing anything else – _what_ _was left for him if he could no longer be Inspector Gadget? He had carried that title since the day his body had been rebuilt and he had become the first cyborg..._

As he gave another sigh, Penny reached up and gently touched the scar that begun just below the metal plate at the base of his skull.

"Gadget?" She said softly.

And he felt her fingers sliding down his healed scar, she stopped halfway down his back and then shifted closer, running her fingers though his hair and gently kissing the scarring that was still visible either side of the metal plate.

"You've been through so much." She said tenderly, "I don't care if you never go back to work –I just want to hold you and love you forever."

Gadget gave another sigh.

He turned onto his back and looked at her.

"I would happily spend forever in bed with you honey - but my job is a big part of my life and I don't want to lose it."

Penny's eyes filled with understanding.

"But like you said, you know it now - you never stopped being John Brown. And _he_ never got to be a cop..."

"But he _wanted_ to be." Gadget reminded her, "And I had to lose half my body and become the first ever cyborg to get my dream. That's a hell of a price to pay if it's all gone now."

Penny put her arm around him and held him closer. She kissed him briefly and looked into his eyes.

"I don't want to you to carry on in your job because Gears and said don't do it, and the guy fixed you so he must know what he's talking about – but I know what you want and I want you to be happy, so even though it's going to do you no favors in the long run, I hope Quimby lets you _keep_ your badge."

Finally Gadget smiled.

"You're only saying that because you love me and you know it's what I want to hear."

Penny nodded.

"That's very true." She replied, kissing him again, "All I know for sure is, I'll love you with or without your job title, Gadget. Like you said, you're still John Brown."

Gadget embraced her and as he clung to her the thought went though his mind yet again that he didn't want to get up yet- _he didn't want to face this day because he knew it was his last day as a police inspector..._

* * *

Taylor Braydon was wide awake even though it was early in the morning and as a rule, he wasn't a morning person.

He had woken up with a smile on his face and he was still smiling as he thought again about what had happened the day before:

_His first arrest_ - _he was a hero!_

Taylor's hands shook like the rest of him did as he clung helplessly to Evie as he looked up at her.

"_Say...it...again!"_

His face was flushed and he had lost control very quickly because her touch and her kisses and then the way she had rolled him on his back and then pinned his wrists above his head had made him feel helpless as he had begged her to _use_ his man metal...

She had said it over and over between kisses; _he was her hero..._

Now he was recovering from passion that had had made him lose control fast and Evie was sliding down next to him, pulling him closer as she ran her fingers through his messy hair. His eyes looked sleepy but Taylor felt wide awake and elated; he was finally a hero...

"I _know_ you can't resist my man metal!" He exclaimed, and by the look in his eyes, Evie guessed all she had to do was say it again and it wouldn't be long before he was in the mood to make love all over again.

She smiled as she looked at him; Taylor was still excited to think he had finally made an arrest, he hadn't stopped talking about it since he had come home the day before and dashed into the house, kissed her and then gone through to the front room and picked up the twins in his arms and told the Taylor Tots all about his adventure...

Evie had heard about Gadget's situation. She didn't want to ruin his mood by mentioning it, but Taylor was so happy and she knew she needed to say something before he went off to work, because he needed to remember that life wasn't going perfectly for _everyone_ right now...

"I still keep thinking about that moment when I cuffed her!" Taylor exclaimed as he lay in bed on his back with his eyes sparkling, "Quimby was actually _pleased_ with me! He's never pleased with me, he's never happy with anyone – but he said I did a _good_ job!"

Evie looked into his eyes.

"Taylor," She said gently, "Maybe it's time to calm down. Perhaps you should go and see Lula today and get your arm checked out."

His smile faded.

"It doesn't hurt. _I feel no pain, I am a hero!_"

And Evie gently touched the small tear in his cybernetic arm, brushing her fingertips over the dented living metal.

Taylor winced.

"It's hurting you!" Evie said.

Taylor blinked back tears as the pain subsided.

"No." He whispered as he tried to fend off the discomfort, "I'm a _tough_ guy. I'll be just fine!"

Eve laughed softly as she shook her head.

"It's badly bruised! Living metal has artificial nerve endings, I'm no cybernetics expert but I do know that! Go and see Lula and get something for the pain until it closes up."

Taylor sat up and checked the time.

"No, I'd rather be at the station. Gadget's going to see Quimby about keeping his job, I want to be there for him."

Evie gave a sigh.

"Taylor, I _know_ he's your best friend but I think he needs to do this on his own. He might need to talk to the Chief privately."

Taylor frowned.

"There's nothing he can't say in front of me! I'm his best friend; I _want_ to be there for him!"

Taylor made a move to get up, but Evie caught his hand and as she pulled him back, he gave a yelp of pain.

"Don't touch my arm!" He exclaimed,"It's..."

And now his face was flushing all over again, and this time because he just didn't want to admit the truth.

"_Hurting?" _Evie wondered.

Taylor was rapidly sliding into a sulk now.

"I didn't think about it until you reminded me - _why _did you do that? I was being a hero, I wasn't feeling the pain, then you went and reminded me –"

"Taylor, _please_ go and get something for your arm." Evie said calmly, "You can catch up with Gadget afterwards. You won't be much good to him like this."

He got out of bed and Evie got up too, as he gripped at the dented metal she quickly put her arm around him.

"Maybe you'll feel better after a hot shower. I can help you; the twins are not awake yet."

Taylor fixed his gaze on the bathroom door as determination shone in his eyes.

"I can do this myself." He stated, but then the ache in his arm that had refused to stop throbbing since he got out of bed kept on throbbing and Evie caught a flicker of doubt in his eyes.

"I can cope with this." He told her, "I'm a hero now! And I've decided - as much as I love teaching at the school, I want to go back to police work full time! I'm a hero- it's my job to protect the streets of Riverton, I'm fearless..."

And then he gave another whimper of pain as he gripped harder at his aching arm.

_"Could you turn the shower on for me, Evie? I don't think I can move properly..."_

"Come on," Evie said kindly, "I'll help you with the shower and then I'll help you get dressed - and _then_ I want you to go over to see Lula and get your arm fixed. Will you promise me you'll do that?"

As she looked up at the tall, worried looking cyborg who moments ago had been immune to pain because he was on such a high as they made love and he thought about being a hero, she couldn't help but smile.

"_Taylor...I'm waiting..."_

He nodded.

"Okay." He said reluctantly, "I'll go and see Lula. And then I'm going to find Gadget because I'm worried about him."

Evie looked up at her husband and nodded.

"Okay, that's fine. But you _have_ to get your arm fixed first."

Taylor leaned down and kissed her.

"Okay, I'll do that. And you're right...my arm _does_ hurt."

Then panic briefly flashed in his eyes as he was hit by a thought that hadn't occurred to him before because he had been so caught up in thoughts of his own heroic actions the day before.

"Do you think my man metal might be _badly _damaged?"

Evie smiled. It was nice to see Taylor coming back down to earth once more; he had been so excited to think he was a hero that everything else had slipped away – but now he was back, he was _her_ Taylor Braydon again - and _very _concerned about possible damage to his man metal...

"It's just a bruise." Evie promised him as she led him to the bathroom, "But I guess you don't get to be a hero without getting a few of those along the way –are you _sure_ you want to go back to full time police work?"

As she looked up at him she silently hoped he would change his mind, because she knew she would never stop worrying about him unless he went back to the teaching job, because he was clumsy, impulsive Taylor - and that meant he got himself hurt every time he tried to be a hero cop, but at the school he was safe and she wanted to keep him safe...

_But Taylor didn't feel that way._

He smiled as he looked at Evie and his eyes shone with excitement as he thought about the future. There was no going back now, his mind was made up:

"_I want to be Deputy Braydon."_ He told her, _"I want to be a crime fighter."_

* * *

Gadget had arrived early at the Chief's office.

He had walked in and found the room to be empty so he sat there, looked at Quimby's empty chair and silently ran through all the things he needed to say:

_Sir, I can still do my job._

_I'm Inspector Gadget; I can fight crime as well I did before..._

_What difference does it make that I can't stand up to active duty? I have my gadgets..._

And then he gave a sigh:

_He had his Gadgets, but he wouldn't get use of them back for twelve weeks._

_Even when he could use them again, he had to keep his Gadget Mode usage to a minimum..._

Gadget looked across the desk and tried to picture saying something really impressive to Quimby to make the man agree that he could keep his job, but he couldn't really think of any statement that would have that effect.

He knew the facts:

_His spine was fixed, but he couldn't cope with active duty._

_Even if he said he thought he could cope, Quimby would know otherwise, because Lula would have Gear's report by now and she would have sent a copy over to him._

_There was no way out of this; he was going to lose his job..._

Gadget looked down at the cane that rested against his chair and wished he could go go gadget _anything_ to chop that thing into a thousand pieces because he hated it so much – but then he guessed if he did that, he would have difficulty standing up again, let alone walking out of the Chief's office.

Then he looked around the room and thought of the many years he had served Riverton as Inspector.

He recalled so much that images flashed through his mind at lightening speed:

_It had been quite a life._

And then the door opened and Quimby walked in.

Gadget grabbed at his cane and made a move to rise from his seat, but Quimby looked at him kindly and gestured for him to sit back down.

"Just stay where you are, Inspector." He said, and then he took a seat at his desk.

As the Chief sat down Gadget felt even worse; _it was the look of compassion in Quimby's eyes that had done it, he would have rather been yelled at. It was ironic that after many years of dreading the wrath of the Chief he now wanted his anger, anything would be better than sympathy..._

_But at least he had called him Inspector. While he called him by his title, he still had a job..._

Gadget looked at him hopefully.

"I was here early, Sir." He remarked, "I was looking forward to coming back to work. I got up and hurried out of the house - I got straight in the Gadget Mobile and came over here, just like I always do when you need to see me. _So no change there_."

And he forced a nervous smile.

The Chief sat back in his chair and paused for a moment, then he returned Gadget's smile warmly.

"I've informed Mayor Wilson about the situation with the Kindred. I haven't told her about the matter of the police records yet because I'm not sure what to do about it – I think perhaps it would be best to look at each case individually. It's going to take a long time but it seems fair that way. And I've just heard that all of these people have homes to go to – Mr Lazarus was financing a large housing project at the back of cyborg city and it turns out this project was for the Kindred. The Mayor was _very_ surprised to hear that."

And Quimby paused again, thinking about Lazarus.

"I was surprised to know that too. Lazarus is a _very_ generous man... anyway, I explained that these people are a little different to us, I explained to the Mayor about their culture. She was _very_ interested."

And then he frowned.

"And I mentioned that a large percentage of their population are young men who will no doubt find useful employment in Cyborg City. As soon as I mentioned that, she was in her car and heading over to the river. _She said she couldn't wait to meet them as soon as they came up to the surface!_"

And Gadget briefly smiled.

"I'm sure she's _very_ enthusiastic." He remarked.

Then Quimby fell silent and Gadget waited and then the wait became too much to bear.

"Sir, I need to ask you something –"

"_Taylor Braydon's bought me a beautiful new fishing boat!"_

Gadget blinked.

This was strange:

_Was the Chief avoiding the question, because he didn't want to tell him the bad news that he had to hand in his badge?_

"A fishing boat?"

Quimby nodded.

"It's a truly beautiful vessel. When he said he'd replace the one he smashed up I wasn't expecting something so impressive. That was very nice of him. I shall look forward to spending many hours at sea on that boat."

And then Quimby looked into Gadget's eyes.

"It's never easy to admit that you've come to the end of a time in your life that's been so important." He stated, _"But a job title isn't everything."_

And Gadget took in a sharp breath as he forced himself not to let his tears show... He _knew_ where this was leading to – _Quimby was starting to explain that he would have to let him go..._

"It's not an easy thing to get used to after so many years of being in such a privileged position," Quimby continued, "But we all get older and.."

He paused again, his gaze briefly shifted to the cane beside Gadget's chair and then he looked into his eyes once more.

"Things change." He stated, "But it doesn't mean we can't leave our mark in a positive way and then move on to an easier life, a life we deserve to have."

Gadget just listened, getting a sinking feeling that the Chief was using the word _we_ a little too often, almost like he was trying to go into one of his clumsy attempts at having one of those man to man chats he was so fond of...

He drew in a breath and tried to speak calmly, but his words came out anxiously instead.

"Sir, I know things have changed for me but I _love_ my job!"

He looked at him pleadingly.

"I don't want to hand in my badge. _Please_ don't do this to me."

The Chief paused again as he gathered his thoughts, then he explained carefully.

"Lula's seen your medical notes. So have I. It won't be possible for you to carry on active duty as Inspector. You've got your life back, you can look forward to the future now and we _both_ know you can't continue in your existing job. It's time to accept that as a _fact_, Gadget."

And sadness clouded Gadget's eyes as he blinked away tears that threatened to well up in front of the Chief.

"_But I'm not letting you go."_ Quimby added.

Gadget blinked again and stared at him.

"Sir?"

Quimby smiled.

"I've found the perfect job for you. But you're not taking it right away. You need to rest up for three months so you'll be taking it on when you come back from sick leave. The hours are short, and Riverton is crime free once more so there's not much to do...you'll be able to go to work for a few hours and then spend the rest of the day with your family. You'll have more time off to be with your kids... it's perfect for you. And I couldn't think of any other man on the Riverton force who had earned this job as much as you have."

Gadget was still staring at him, the news was still sinking in that he was not about to be fired.

"What job is it? He wondered.

Quimby smiled warmly.

"_Mine._ I'm retiring at the end of the month. _After you come back to work you won't be coming back as Inspector - you'll be the new Chief of Police._"

And Quimby leaned over the desk and shook his hand.

"Congratulations Gadget," He said proudly, "You just got promoted."

* * *

Mayor Wilson had waited by the bank of the river for hours.

At first the sight of the Sea Dragon had startled her, but then she had gazed in wonder at its intricate design and every time the submarine had dropped off people from below surface she had watched as it submerged again and the dived with a flick of its mighty tail and she had taken a look at the strangely dressed people with clockwork cybernetic design and wondered about the man who steered such a craft with great admiration.

She had spoken at great length to Gears, the leader of these people and found him to be a polite and intelligent young man.

Then she had lowered her voice and whispered in his ear:

"If you're anything to go by, I'm sure the rest of your people will just _wonderful_, Mr Gears..."

And Gears eyes grew wider as she leaned a little closer, sliding her hand down his hip.

Gears laughed and stepped aside, pausing to stroke Ursula's head as the panther sat at his feet with her diamante collar glinting in the sunlight.

"If only I wasn't a one woman man." He said regretfully, then he added: "Careful, don't upset the cougar!"

Mayor Wilson looked at the big cat.

"I thought that's a panther?"

Gears smiled.

"She is a panther. Where _is_ my cougar?"

And he looked around at the sea of faces; there were a lot of people gathered by the river, all curious to see who these people of the Kindred were. And then he saw her approaching him in a sea green silk dress. She smiled and blinked spidery lashes as she held out her hand to the Mayor.

"Here she is!" He said with great relief, "Mayor Wilson – this is Carla."

"Nice to meet you," Carla said, "I'm his wife."

And the Mayor shook her hand, feeling disappointed that Gears was spoken for – and with a woman close to her own age, too...

"I would very much like to meet the captain of your Sea Dragon." She said to Gears, "It must take great skill to manoeuvre such a great beast..."

Gears laughed softy as he thought about how thrilled Magnet would be to meet his dream woman at last.

"You certainly shall meet him- my good friend Mr Magnet is about to leave the sub..."

And Lazarus stood at the back of the crowd watching with his arm around Alicia.

He smiled as the last of the Kindred left the Sea Dragon.

"This is a great day." He told her, "It's the first day the two cultures shall meet- _and_ the two technologies. They will in unite and make the cyborg community even stronger. And the technological advances both sciences make together will be remarkable."

And Alicia smiled too as she looked at him.

"I know it's a special day," She said warmly, "I can feel it, like I'm watching a part of history unfold."

"You are." Lazarus replied, "And it's a very wonderful part - today marks the start of two technologies joining forces to create great designs and seal the future of cyborg life on earth."

_But Mayor Wilson, who was standing by the mouth of the Sea Dragon, knew nothing of the grander scale of things:_

Her gaze stayed fixed on the door within the hold as a young man with short blond hair walked through it. He was shorter and stockier than she had imagined and his shirt was pattered with a print of pirate ships.

He walked out of the Sea dragon and stepped onto the bank, as he looked at Mayor Wilson he smiled and blinked and the iris of his clockwork eye flipped around and instead plain of brass became patterned light blue with pink floating hearts.

"It is indeed a great honor to meet you, Lady Mayor." He said, bowing flamboyantly, before taking hold of her hand and kissing it.

As he let go of her hand he stepped closer and the two of them stood on the river bank, a mere fraction apart from what could have been a kiss had the place not been so crowded.

"What's your name?" She wondered.

The man formerly known as Raymond Braydon smiled.

"I am Magnet." He informed her, "Captain of the Sea Dragon and in the absence of my good friend Mr Gears when his scientific pursuits call him away, I am also head representative of my people."

And the Mayor smiled and licked her lips.

"I shall look forward to _many _fascinating discussions with you, Mr Magnet."

And Magnet glanced around and saw the crowd were not fixing their gaze on them, and so he made the most of the moment.

He leaned close to her ear.

"_If you were a donut I'd lick off your frosting!" _He exclaimed.

The Mayor gasped.

And then her eyes sparkled.

"_Welcome to Riverton, Mr Magnet!"_ She said warmly.

* * *

Taylor Braydon had left the house reminding himself, he was a _tough_ guy and that was all that mattered now.

He had kissed Evie like a hero, sweeping her into his arms and kissing her hard, pulling back as passion blazed in his eyes.

"I'm going to see Lula." He had announced, "And then, I'm off to work!"

And he had glanced at his sons and smiled.

"Later, Taylor Tots – Daddy's got to go to work and fight crime!"

And then he had left the house, got into his car and his resolve had crumbled and he had driven away with a worried look in his eyes.

_His arm was hurting_.

_He loved his man metal._

_The thought that it could be injured made him want to cry..._

He had worried all the way over to the cybernetics lab.

When he got there he had parked his car and hurried up the steps, pausing to run his hand over the bullet holes in his jacket.

He _liked_ the bullet holes. He had already decided he wouldn't get his jacket repaired, because the damage made him look tough.

But Evie was right about his arm; it was hurting him a _lot_ now...

Taylor gave a message to the girl at reception and she called Lula's office and then directed him to a seating area and told him to wait.

He sat down and took in a deep breath as he tried to force his worries far from his mind.

"_I'm a hero now."_ He said quietly, _"I'm Taylor Braydon, I'm scared of nothing! I'm a tough guy!"_

And he felt a little better as he hung onto those words.

Then Lula walked over to him.

"You want me to take a look at your arm?"

Taylor got up.

"Only if you've got time...it's nothing really..."

And he walked with her down the corridor and they turned the corner and entered the lab.

"Just take off your shirt." Lula said, "And I'll have a look at it. I heard you took two bullets and it left you with a bit of a dent. That must be hurting like hell!"

Taylor took off his bullet punctured jacket and draped it over a table. Then he took off his shirt and neatly put it on top of his jacket.

"It is a bit sore." He admitted, "But I'm not bothered by it."

And he laughed, recalling the events of the day before.

"I don't let things like this get to me, I'm a _tough_ guy!"

"_Right..."_ Lula said doubtfully.

As Taylor sat back in the reclining chair, he took in a deep breath and noticed the way his micro chips shone under the lights and he smiled.

"I know you're probably thinking it's a dream come true, having a hero like _me_ in here with his shirt off exposing his man metal – but remember Lula, I'm in love with Evie - so _control _yourself!"

And Lula shook her head and let his robofetish fly past her because she had heard his remarks so many times before that it didn't even irritate her any more.

She carefully ran her fingertips over the torn synthetic skin and cautiously felt the dent in his living metal.

Taylor felt a twinge of pain.

"_Lula..."_

She looked at him sharply, noticing his breathing had got heavier suddenly - it was then she realized he was crying.

"_Am I badly hurt?_" He said tearfully.

Lula gently put her hand on his shoulder as she looked at the father of her eldest son and realized too late she should have guessed his buoyant mood when he came in had been an act of bravado.

"Taylor," She said calmly, "The bullets didn't penetrate. The living metal got dented, that's starting to correct itself now. And as it heals the skin around it will heal and close up. It's a superficial injury."

He looked at her with wide, frightened eyes.

"Super _what?_ That sounds bad..."

"I mean it's a minor injury."

He gave another sob.

"Then _why_ does it hurt so much? _Is my man metal infected, will I have to have my arm taken off and then wait weeks for a replacement? What if the infection spreads...it might get into my human tissue and _–"

"You have living metal in your bones." She reminded him, "That strengthens and protects everything. Your immune system is as safe as Fort Knox. You are disease and bacteria resistant. You _can't_ get an infection, Taylor."

He started to calm down a little on hearing those words.

"So can you _please_ stop it hurting me?"

Lula picked up a can of spray and gave his arm a quick blast.

The anaesthesia worked right away, icing up the pain.

He breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank you _so_ much for curing me!"

And Lula looked at Taylor and smiled, thinking how he hadn't changed since the day she had met him so long ago, when he had come to Riverton from the future. He was _still_ the same guy; still very much like an overgrown chid and that was the reason why she loved him so much and she guessed that was why Evie loved him too – dear, sweet Taylor Braydon – a man who acted like a kid and had a heart of gold underneath it all...

"You're fine." She promised him.

Taylor frowned.

"That's it? I can go?"

"Yes, go and get on with your day."

And then she glanced at his other arm, where a piece of synthetic skin had been neatly cut away, now the living metal beneath had grown over and healed around it leaving a strip of metal exposed.

"I read Gadget's medical report. That scar on your arm, is that where they took the donor metal?"

Taylor nodded, and thinking about what he had done for his best friend brought the light back into his eyes.

"I _love_ that scar!" He exclaimed, "Every time I look at it I remember I saved my best friend's life."

Lula smiled.

"And that," She told him as she handed him back his shirt, "Makes you a _real _hero."

Taylor smiled back at her proudly as he buttoned up his shirt.

"Thanks."

"And just remember if it starts hurting again, put _ice_ on it, living metal doesn't hurt when it's iced up."

Taylor nodded.

"I know."

He slipped on his bullet-peppered jacket with ease now the pain was gone.

"Time to get back to work." He said "I'm still a hero and I'm still on duty!"

And he headed for the door.

As he got there he turned back.

"Lula..."

"What?" She wondered.

"Don't tell anyone about my arm, you know – _don't_ say I cried..."

She laughed softy and shook her head.

"I won't say a word, now get out of here, Taylor - go to work!"

Taylor smiled again and then he walked away, happy in the knowledge that his man metal would be just fine.

* * *

Gadget was still in the Chief's office.

He had talked at length about how thrilled he was to become the new Chief of Police.

"I never thought I'd become Chief!" He exclaimed, "Thank you so much, Sir!"

Quimby smiled.

"Well it's like I said, I couldn't think of a better man for the job, but I don't want you to come back to work until you've had your three months rest like Gears recommended. Then perhaps you can take on the mountain of paperwork and decide what's to become of these Kindred people. It's going to take three months just to get the paperwork together!"

And Gadget nodded, guessing his new job wouldn't be completely free of difficult days:

_He wanted to stay within the law because he was a firm believer in upholding it, yet Lazarus had taken these people and given them new lives. They lived with His blessing._

_It seemed like as soon as he came back to work, he would face a crisis of conscience when he decided what to do for the best..._

And then the door opened and Taylor burst in.

Quimby glared at him.

"_Haven't you ever heard of knocking, Braydon?" _He yelled angrily.

Taylor sat down next to Gadget.

"Don't fire him!" He said sharply.

A nerve twitched in the Chief's eye as he looked at Deputy Braydon.

_"I'm not."_ He stated.

Taylor stared at him.

"What? For real, he's still got his job?"

And then Taylor's eyes lit up with relief.

"Oh that's great – and I have great news too – _Chief Quimby, I have decided I would like to come back to work full time for the Police Department – I want to carry on being Gadget's Deputy!_"

Gadget looked at Taylor, then he looked at the Chief, shooting him a discreet glance that said enough: _Don't tell him yet..._

The Chief understood completely; Taylor Braydon would be glad his friend still had a job but he would be very disappointed to learn that he would no longer be Gadget's Deputy and as they were so close, it seemed far better if Taylor heard this news from Gadget...

"Well if you want to stay on the force I can't say I'm against the idea after the superb job you did of cracking the case at Neurotech, Deputy Braydon. Now this meeting is over, I shall speak to you anther time, Gadget – _privately_, if there's anything you need to discuss."

Gadget smiled.

"I'm perfectly happy with the arrangement Sir." He said gratefully.

And then Quimby looked at Taylor and smiled.

"By the way, thanks for the new boat. It's beautiful!"

Taylor blinked in surprise to see the Chief being so sweet natured all of a sudden.

"Oh, that was nothing. I just bought a bigger one to say sorry for busting the smaller one."

And Gadget glanced at Taylor, remembering he had suffered some minor battle damage the day before.

"How's your arm?"

Taylor shrugged.

"It's okay, no big deal – Lula iced it up for me."

Gadget indicated to his other arm.

"And that one?"

Taylor smiled proudly as he thought of the scar that would forever remind he had saved his friend's life.

"It's better now."

Quimby had missed that part of the conversation, because he had got up from his chair and turned his back to gather up some paperwork.

As he turned back, Taylor looked at him and smiled, assuming he had heard the reference to him being Gadget's donor.

"That's something I'll _never_ forget." He said fondly, _"It hurt at the time but I go all warm inside when I think about me and Gadget like that. I put a part of me inside him! Right inside, so deep that my metal and his metal became as one."_

And the Chief stared at Taylor.

He started to blush as he recalled a misinterpreted conversation he had once overheard at the Braydon mansion:

_He had been convinced they were all in there having some kind of swinger's party – and to his acute embarrassment, had dropped his own pants only to find they were actually having a perfectly innocent barbecue in the garden..._

"What's this about?" He wondered for clarification.

_"I was just saying how special I feel when I think about a part of me going inside Gadget."_ He repeated.

_And then Taylor smiled. And so did Gadget._

A nerve twitched in the Chief's eye again as he wondered if he had got it wrong, or right, or if he simply had a filthy mind because he didn't spend enough time with Mrs Quimby...that would have to change once he retired, then he hoped he wouldn't be seeing sexual suggestions everywhere he turned...

"I've got some paperwork to file." He replied, and then he left the room.

As Taylor got up with ease from his seat, he noticed Gadget struggled slightly as he used his cane.

"Need some help?"

"No, I'm fine."

Gadget had found his balance now and he smiled at Taylor.

"Let's get out of here, I need to go home to Penny, and I want to see the kids. They all know I'm better and they all want to see me."

And he laughed.

"I'm glad I've got three months off work - I'm going to _need _a rest after all the family has been over!"

And Taylor smiled too and the two men left the office, as they walked out of the building towards the Gadget Mobile, Gadget stayed bright and cheerful for Taylor's sake – even though he knew sooner or later he would have to break the bad news that if he wanted to stay on as Deputy, they would _not_ be working together any longer...

And there was also the problem of how to deal with the past criminal records of the people of the Kindred:

_Now their fate was entirely in his hands and he wasn't sure how he would approach that problem._

He got into the car with Taylor and as they drove away, Gadget managed to laugh along with his best friend and smile for his sake – even though he knew life wasn't exactly simple and there were no easy solutions to anything, and he was sure that even three months off work wouldn't help him to come up with answers. _Life was getting better again, but he still had problems to work out and it seemed there could be no simple solutions_...


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Gadget's time off work had been spent at home with Penny and Maxie and Hope, visiting his other kids and spending time with Taylor Braydon.

It was the longest time off work he had spent that he could ever remember; he had even come back on duty faster than this after he had been caught up in the explosion caused by the Riverton Bomber – he had _never_ had this much time off work, time to spend with his family, time to take things easy...

_And he had loved every moment of it._

The only low point of the whole thing had been having to take Taylor to one side and speak to him quietly after a family barbecue in the garden of the Braydon mansion, where he had explained that he had been promoted.

Taylor's eyes had lit up with joy to think that Gadget would be the new Chief of Police

And just as rapidly as that smile on his face had appeared, it had vanished again as it dawned on him that Gadget would no longer be his partner.

"_But you can still work for me."_ Gadget had said hopefully, _"And I won't yell like Quimby used to..."_

And Taylor had thought about it and nodded sadly; the school was closed for summer now and Taylor had already handed in his resignation because he was set on pursing his career as Deputy full time once more, so there was no going back...

"I guess I'll just have to get used to being Deputy Braydon without you beside me, Gadget." He had said sadly, and then Benji had come over to him and talked about the latest gossip – _apparently, Mayor Wilson had broken up with her husband, and Uncle Magnet had moved in with her and the two of them were planning to get married?_

That news had driven all worried thoughts from Taylor's mind as he thought about his younger brother; he had invited Magnet to come and stay at the mansion when he first came up to Riverton, but his time spent at the house had grown less and less frequent over the past few weeks and now he knew why...

Taylor made a face like he'd just sucked on a sour lemon.

"Mayor Wilson!" He exclaimed.

And Benji looked at his dad and made an identical face.

"_I know...gross!"_

But the summer was soon coming to an end and Gadget, after three months off work, couldn't wait to get back to the Police Department and start his new job – even if his time off work had been great and like all good times had gone past too quickly...

Now it was just gone nine in the morning and Gadget was sitting in his office – the one that said _Chief Gadget_ on a brand new name plate on the door.

As he relaxed in the chair, he looked around the room and smiled:

_Yes, the job really was his. He was now Chief of Riverton Police._

_Like Ivy had said, he didn't need to be Inspector to be the Protector of Riverton and Cyborg City. She had been right – he just didn't realize she had meant that he would get promoted..._

Then there was a knock on the door and an officer came in and dumped a huge stack of paperwork on his desk.

"Sir, these are the records of the Kindred- their _real_ names, their lists of offences, some of them were missing people too... "

"I'll deal with this." Gadget promised him.

The officer frowned.

"So what are we going to do about processing their new paperwork? I've got a list of all their names, just first names...you asked for some new forms to be made up? I took a look at them and there are details missing."

Gadget relaxed as he sat back in the chair; he smiled at the officer as he thought about the long hours he had spent considering the situation with the Kindred.

_And then it had occurred to him that these were people who had been saved by God._

_And that was good enough for him, he didn't need to question further..._

"The new forms are simple." He explained, "Run the disk and start alphabetically and file each one under their new name- _first name only_ – and list them as _citizen of Cyborg City_. List the previous address as _Amaryllis, subterranean_."

The cop stared at him.

"_Is that all?"_

Gadget smiled.

"That's all."

The cop looked at the mountain of paperwork on the new Chief's desk, all paperwork listing the Kindred's real names and their criminal records, and many missing persons files.

"Will you be needing any help with processing their real identities?" He wondered.

"No thank you." Gadget said warmly, "I'm on top of this. You can go now."

And he waited for the officer to shut the door.

Then Gadget smiled, knowing for sure that if Lazarus had set about this great plan to save and give these people new lives, he wouldn't be disregarding the law simply by bending the rules. He didn't bend the rules for anyone usually, but this time it was different - he was doing it for the people who Lazarus had saved.

_If Lazarus had faith in them, so did he..._

Gadget leaned on his cane as he got up and went over to the window and opened it.

Then he set the metal trash can that had been next to his desk in front of it; he knew exactly how to wipe out the past. It was the only way, because Lazarus had given these people his blessing to start new lives and he was not about to let anything getting the way of that.

Then there was another knock on his door.

Gadget gave a sigh, turning around to block the view of the paperwork in the trash can.

"Come in."

The door opened and Taylor walked in.

"Gadget?" He said with a worried look in his eyes, "You wanted to see me?"

Gadget smiled.

"Yes I did, Taylor. How are you finding working alone?"

Taylor stood there and looked into his eyes, and although he looked sad he smiled.

"It's okay. At least I'm still Deputy."

And Gadget's smile got bigger.

"No you're not." He told him, "From today I've decided you should be _something else_."

Taylor frowned.

"Like what, Gadget?"

And Gadget knew how happy Taylor would be when he told him and he wanted to throw his arms around him and hug him right now, but he didn't because he wanted to see the look on his face when he understood what had happened.

"I need you to give me your badge."

Taylor stared at him.

"No, it's _mine_!" He said defensively.

Gadget laughed softy.

"I just want you to give it to me!"

"No!" Taylor said again, "You're _not _having it! It's _my_ badge!"

Taylor was still wearing the bullet–peppered jacket and as he stood there sulking like a child Gadget laughed again.

"Taylor, I have a _new_ badge for you."

Taylor's expression changed at once.

"_Is it shiny?"_

"Yes it is."

"Is it _big_?" His eyes were filled with excitement now.

"Give me your old one."

Taylor took his badge from his jacket and handed it to him, eager to see what the replacement looked like.

Gadget reached into his pocket and gave Taylor his new badge.

Taylor grabbed it excitedly.

Then he looked closer, and then he felt confused as he looked back at Gadget.

"This isn't right. It's not my badge...it says _Inspector_."

Gadget was still smiling. Taylor was slow to get there, but it would sink in any minute now and he would be overjoyed...

"What _else_ does it say?" He asked him.

Taylor read what was written on the badge.

_Then he read it again._

Then his eyes lit up as a huge grin spread across his face.

He jumped up and down with glee as he said it aloud.

"_Inspector Taylor Braydon! Oh wow, I'm an Inspector!"_

And he hugged Gadget.

"Thank you so much! Oh wow, I have your old job! I won't let you down!"

As he let go of him, Gadget laughed.

"That's right, you _won't_ let me down – and in light of your previous dangerous adventures I thought it would be a good idea to assign you a Deputy just to help you out. Someone who can handle himself. And when I ran the idea past Mayor Wilson, she thought perhaps one of the Kindred might be ideal for the job, it would also help with public relations between our two cultures."

Taylor's eyes were sparkling.

"I've got a _Deputy?_"

And a horn sounded outside from the parking lot below.

"That's him now." Gadget said, then he stepped back and watched to see the look on Taylor's face when he looked out the window and realized who his Deputy would be.

Taylor went over to the open window and saw a large, powerful looking clockwork and steam powered car parked outside the police department.

The driver wore a Deputy's badge on a shirt that was patterned with printed pictures of pirate ships.

Magnet smiled up at him.

"Ready to go to work, Bro?" He called up.

And Taylor's eyes sparkled as he turned back to Gadget.

"_My brother?"_

Gadget could say no more as Taylor grabbed him and hugged him tightly and then kissed his cheek.

"_Thank you so much!"_

"I'm glad you're happy." Gadget told him.

Taylor pulled his cell phone from his pocket and hit speed dial.

It rang for a brief time and Evie answered the phone.

"Honey, guess what!" Taylor said excitedly, "Gadget's just made _me_ the new Inspector!"

And from where he stood on the other side of the room, Gadget heard Eve give a squeal of joy and say, _"Oh Taylor, I'm so proud of you!"_

Then the horn sounded again and Magnet called to his brother.

Gadget smiled at Taylor.

"You'd better get out there and fight crime, Inspector Braydon."

Taylor's eyes were still shining with joy.

"Thanks, Gadget!" He said gratefully, and the he left the room, closing the door a little too hard as wood splintered around the door frame.

Gadget guessed that Taylor would _never_ remember his cyborg strength when it came to closing the Chief's door, so maybe it was time to invest in a metal door frame...

Then he turned back to the paperwork in the trash can.

"_Gadget Mode On."_ He stated, and the message blinked behind his vision that his gadget mode was ready.

"Go go Gadget firelighter." He stated.

And a bubble wand popped out of his finger tip and as he shook it to try and make it retract, bubbles started to fill the air.

This was becoming frustrating.

"Firelighter_! Go go Gadget firelighter!_"

And an umbrella popped up from his hat and opened up.

He gave a sigh; Gears had not been wrong when he had said the treatment had affected control over his gadgets - he was having the kind of glitches he used to get in the old days...

The umbrella folded out of sight and Gadget took in a deep breath, knowing stress made glitches far worse.

"Go go Gadget firelighter. _Fire lighter!_" He repeated.

And the firelighter slid out, and with a single _click_ the flame caught the edges of the paperwork in the metal trash can.

Gadget retracted the firelighter and ordered his Gadget mode off, then he smiled as the papers rapidly burned.

Then Gadget grabbed a cold cup of coffee and poured it into the trash can just be sure the fire was out.

And he felt pleased with himself – the people of the Kindred had new lives, just like Lazarus intended. _Their old lives had just gone up in smoke..._

And so had the trash can as he poured in the coffee; the flames extinguished but sent a cloud of smoke up into the room, hitting the alarm system and as the fire alarm set off, so did the sprinklers.

As water began to rain down into the place, Gadget leaned on his cane and quickly grabbed his coat and hat.

He looked out of the doorway and saw the sprinklers were going off every where and people were trying to evacuate the building as fast as they could without getting drenched.

Amusement danced in his eyes.

"_Sorry everyone!"_ He called out, _"It was just one of my glitches..."_

Then he hurried as fast as he could, partly leaning on his cane as he put on his hat and trench coat, and then Gadget left the building and got straight into the Gadget Mobile.

"Is there a fire?" The car wondered.

Gadget smiled

"Not exactly. But my work is done for the day and it isn't even lunchtime yet. _Take me home to Penny!_"

* * *

As the Gadget Mobile pulled up outside the house, Gadget got out of the car stiffly and walked up to the front door leaning heavily on his cane.

He let himself into the house and closed the door behind him.

"Penny?" He called out.

"I'm up here." She called back, and Gadget went up the stairs to meet her.

By the time she got out to the upper hallway, he had reached the top of the stairs and he was still leaning heavily on his cane.

It's a good thing it was the end of my shift." He told her as he reached around and rubbed his back, "I'm hurting, Penny. I shouldn't have used the rockets on the Gadget Mobile - it gets me every time... I was just in such a hurry to get home to you."

Penny's eyes filled with concern as she put her arm around him and helped him into the bedroom.

"I _told_ you not to use the rockets!" She exclaimed, "Oh Gadget, what have you done? Let me help you get undressed, I'll give you a back rub, honey..."

And Gadget took off his hat and unbuttoned his trench coat and let Penny help him take it off and then she helped him strip off his shirt too.

He sat down stiffly on the bed and set his cane aside.

"Please don't use the rockets again." Penny told him as she sat beside him, "You'll hurt your back, Gadget!"

And Gadget started to smile and she caught a playful sparkle in his eyes.

"_I didn't use the rockets,"_ He told her, _"And my back is just fine... I was just fooling around!"_

And he grabbed the bottle of massage oil from the table and then he grabbed Penny too and she laughed as they tumbled down onto the bed together.

Gadget kissed her and then began to unbutton her blouse.

"I'm not having a massage." He said, "I don't _need_ one- "

And his eyes sparkled as he looked at his wife.

"It's _your_ turn today, Penny..."

And then as she giggled, he kissed her again.

* * *

Much later after making love to his wife with the kind of spontaneous passion that he only ever used to dream of, Gadget left the warmth of her embrace and got out of bed.

"Where are you going?" Penny wondered, "I don't have to pick Maxie up from school for another hour..."

Gadget ran his fingers through his hair and as he did it she caught a glimpse of his scars – but only briefly, because his hair covered them completely now.

"I dealt with the red tape for the Kindred." He told her, secretly smiling as he thought about exactly _how _he had dealt with it, "And I need to go over to see Lazarus and let him know it's all done with."

Penny's gaze wandered over her husband's body as he stood there getting dressed.

He leaned on his cane briefly as he straightened his tie in the mirror and then he slipped on his trench coat and put on his hat and then he turned back to his wife.

"I wish I didn't have to get up just yet," He told her, "You look great like that, lying in bed and barely covered by that sheet..."

Penny smiled.

_"If you hurry back you might get more of the same tonight."_ She said playfully.

"That's worth hurrying home for." Gadget replied, "But don't worry, I won't use the rockets – _I need to save my back for the bedroom!_"

And he winked at Penny and then leaning much lighter on his cane than he did before, made his way out of the room and down the stairs, heading for the front door, where the Gadget Mobile was parked outside waiting.

* * *

Gadget was in a bright mood as he headed over to Cyborg City.

As he crossed the bridge he looked up at the gleaming metal spires that seemed to embrace the rays of the sun and the sight of them filled his heart with happiness; Life was working out now. It had been a struggle but finally it seemed as if every little crease in the fabric of his difficult life had been ironed out and right now, there were no clouds on the horizon. When he looked to the future he saw possibilities as bright as the sun rays that caught on the towers of Cyborg City.

When he reached the house of Lazarus, he parked the Gadget Mobile and got out and went through the gate and pu the path, and after knocking on the door and waiting for a few moments, Lazarus answered the door.

He smiled as he looked at Gadget.

"I just came over to tell you not to worry about the paperwork regarding the Kindred – I mean all the stuff about their past, its –"

"_Gone."_ Lazarus said knowingly.

And his eyes shone with warmth.

"Please come in, Gadget."

And Gadget entered the house and Lazarus closed the door behind him.

"I was just finishing some work with Alicia." He told him,"She's helping to write out the Testament of the New Age. I'll be out to join you in the garden shortly –Mr Gears is here, why don't you go and say hello to him, I'm sure you'd like to catch up with him."

Gadget nodded.

"Great." He said," I'll see you soon then..."

And Gadget walked through the front room and out through wide patio doors into a large garden beyond the house.

* * *

Lazarus went back though to the study, shifting the curtain aside as he watched Gadget walk over to Gears, who was standing by a border admiring some roses.

"Alicia..."

She stopped typing his written words and got up and joined him at the window.

Lazarus smiled at her.

"I'd like you to share this." He told her.

She saw Gears turn to Gadget and as the two men began to talk, she felt puzzled.

"What am I seeing?" She wondered.

Lazarus looked back at her and as love and wisdom shone from his eyes, he explained all she needed to know:

"Gadget is a man who has walked a difficult path in life. And that path has given him many challenges and now he's seeing the rewards of his efforts, because is life is running smoothly now and he has many blessings to be thankful for. But sometimes life itself brings rewards along. This is a very special moment, Alicia."

And Alicia looked out of the window.

_She looked at Gears._

_Then she looked at Gadget._

Then she looked at Lazarus and her jaw dropped.

"_I think he's..."_

And Lazarus smiled and nodded his head.

"No!" Alicia said in surprise "How could I have _not_ spotted that?"

"This is one more reward for both of them." Lazarus said, "Nothing is out of place now. This will make their lives complete."

And then Alicia laughed.

"I _love_ a happy ending!"

"_So do I."_ He told her, then Lazarus put his arm around Alicia and the two of them watched a moment unfold that both Gadget and Gears would forever hold in their hearts for the rest of their days.

* * *

Gadget indicated to the roses.

"We have a rose garden." He said, "Penny and the kids love it. Maybe you could come over to the house and meet my family, I'd like that. I know Penny wants to thank you for saving my life."

And then Gadget stepped closer and looked into his eyes.

"I'm grateful too – I'll never forget what you did for me, Gears. I've got a great life now –I'm not sick any more, I've been promoted, I work less hours, I can spend all the time I want with my family, I never knew my life could turn around so fast and become so good again."

And Gears smiled.

"I'm happy for you."

But Gadget spotted that look again, there was a faint trace of sadness in Gears eyes and he had seen that look before but had not had the time to ask what troubled him. Now he had all the time he needed, so he _did_ ask him.

"You said when we were down in the base that life can never be perfect. You said it was too late for you because the page had already been written. What did you mean by that?"

Gear's eyes clouded with sadness.

"I don't regret becoming a cyborg." He stated, "I'm proud of what I am, who I am, I'm a man of cybernetic science and Lazarus names me as the embodiment of the Spirit of Invention. I have so much in my life to be happy about. But I'll always regret I can never share those achievements with my Dad. He died when I was a child, he was killed in action."

"I thought your father was a watch maker?" Gadget wondered.

Gears shook his head.

"My stepfather was a watch maker. My _real_ father was someone my mother barely knew. She didn't intend to get pregnant, I was an accident. And she tried to find him, she looked for several years. And then one day she opened up a newspaper and saw his picture and the report said he'd been killed in the line of duty."

Gadget's eyes filled with compassion.

"Was he a soldier?" He wondered.

Gears looked at him sadly.

"No, he was working at the Riverton Science lab, back in the days before it became a cybernetics center. There was break in and he tried to stop the bad guys. He got killed in an explosion."

Gadget stared at him.

"Who...who was he, a scientist?"

Gears shook his head.

"This might come as a surprise, but even though I'm one of the youngest cybernetic surgeons in the whole of the world, my Dad was just a humble security guard."

Gadget's voice was hushed now.

"What was his name?"

_"John Brown."_ Said Gears._  
_

Gadget stared at Gears, blinking away tears as he thought about how he had dreamed about his night with Beth, the young woman he had barely known. Then he recalled how Lazarus had told him once that he had achieved something when he had been John, and now he knew what that was:

_ This gifted young man, the only man capable of saving his life, who shared with him the honor of being one of the pillars of the new faith was his own son..._

As he looked back at Gears, he knew for certain he may as well have been looking into his own eyes...

"What?" Gears wondered, "Is it such a shock I have a past? I wasn't always called _Gears_, you know!"

Gadget's voice was choked with emotion as he looked into the eyes of his son.

"_And I wasn't always called Inspector Gadget."_ He said softly.

Gears saw the tears in his eyes and thought of how many times he had felt close to this man, how his heart had ached at the thought of him leaving Amaryllis... _now it all made sense._

And then Gears walked into his open arms and the two men embraced, just as Lazarus had intended, The Sentinel and The Spirit of Invention knew the truth now.

And it was a joyful reunion; father and son were reunited never to part again.

_All the pieces had slid into place._

_Nothing was missing now, the final piece had fitted into the great plan of Lazarus– there were no more missing pieces in the life of John Brown, now the Police Chief known as Gadget; all was complete now._

_It had been a difficult journey but that journey was over and Gadget knew he could look forward to happiness with nothing to darken the bright horizon. _

_It was indeed a happy ending at last._

The End.

* * *

**Author Note to my Readers: **

**Yes, this really IS the end of this series of books. **

**This story brings the whole series within this universe to a conclusion, and there will be no more sequels.**

**I have taken the adventure as far as it can go and I've had a lot of fun with it and I hope everyone has enjoyed reading it.**

**I will be writing more (separate) Gadget stories in the future. **

**This series of novels started out as a trilogy and then just grew and I've found it very exciting and inspiring to work on.**

**And I will miss this universe because I've had so much fun with it!**

**And a quick reminder – there is a *tie in book to this series of novels called Inspector and Deputy* also published here on and it's by EricaX. **

**I hope everyone who has read the whole series of my IG novels have had lots of fun reading them ~ Aline Riva, author ~  
**


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